


Heart's A Mess

by God_of_Insanity



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alley Blow Jobs, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Angst, Cannibalism, Complete, Explicit Sexual Content, Father/Son Incest, Gift Fic, Hair-pulling, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Male Slash, Minor Character Death, No Masamune, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rough Sex, Some slight sadism/masochism, Switching, Tags May Change, Teen Pregnancy, Vincent Valentine POV, Violence, m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2018-12-13 02:03:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 43,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11749806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God_of_Insanity/pseuds/God_of_Insanity
Summary: Working as a reclusive PI, Vincent Valentine is asked by Lucrecia to bring her son back to her alive and unscathed. Once he finds him, though, things don’t go as planned.





	1. Landfill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Malind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malind/gifts).



> Giftfic for Malind.

Glancing into his rearview mirror as he drove, Vincent noticed that those intense green eyes were still burning holes into him as if that alone would unravel him. It didn’t really bother him to be stared at like that, though he still wished the tranquilizer he’d used on the man earlier would have kept him unconscious for longer than an hour. His gun was on his person and armed with more of those special-made darts he’d been given to take the escaped man down. Even now, he was tempted to shoot him again, but he’d already used two on the younger man and didn’t want to risk accidentally killing him with a lethal dose. He’d been warned to not use more than three at a time and it was imperative to return this man back to Lucrecia alive and preferably unharmed.

Unfortunately for gunman, he still had another five hours to go before they reached the facility that he had been ordered to deliver Sephiroth to. He hoped the silver-haired man would keep quiet until then and not try anything, but that was just wishful thinking, he knew. Even with those supposedly unbreakable high-voltage handcuffs keeping his arms restrained behind him, there was still a chance he’d do something drastic. After all, those long, strong legs of his were free and Vincent had seen video of what those deadly, powerful things could do. It just seemed like overkill to handcuff his legs together, too, and despite how out of touch Vincent was with the world, and with people in general, he still didn’t want to be cruel to the young man. Especially considering this was the son of a woman he both loved and hated with a passion that nearly consumed him.

And nearly had killed him over twenty years ago.

Which was why Vincent was here and doing this right now. She had approached him with tears in her eyes and had implored him to bring her so-called troubled back son to her. Apparently, Sephiroth had escaped from the facility during a treatment after killing several people and had been missing for about a week now. Instead of enlisting in the help of Hollander’s boys, who were supposedly fully trained, obedient, and capable men, Lucrecia had wanted Vincent to find and bring Sephiroth back to her, unharmed and alive. When pressed about it, she had claimed that they would hurt her son and possibly kill him since they belonged to a rival scientist called Hollander, a man Hojo hated.

Why he was doing this, he didn’t really know. Well, he probably did know, but didn’t want to admit to it. When she had first contacted him with this, he hadn’t agreed at first and had outright refused, but in the end, like always, he had caved into her demands. As much as he hated that godsdamned, heartless woman, he still loved her in spite of the inhumane, cruel horrors she and her husband had put him through just over twenty years ago. Because of her, and her deranged, sick husband, he was an inhuman freak now with several non-human _somethings_ inside of him that would kill him and everyone else if given the chance to. Even if he hadn’t been warned about Sephiroth’s superhuman strength and abilities, he still would have been able to glance at the man and figure out that he wasn’t exactly a normal human, either.

Vincent had spent countless hours poring over the file Lucrecia had handed him, Sephiroth’s file. While skimming through it, well more like, obsessing over it, he had had the nagging suspicion that this was an edited file. Whatever was in this file had been carefully chosen while the rest had been cut out. Despite this, what he did read in this censored file still disturbed him nevertheless.

Sephiroth was like Vincent, more or less. And that deeply angered him to know that Lucrecia would willingly subject her own child to possibly the same things as she’d done to Vincent. As much as he despised her creepy husband, he couldn’t help wondering who was more despicable, Hojo or Lucrecia. He supposed it didn’t truly matter one way or another because in the end, he knew those two truly belonged together. The woman had made her choice a long time ago, after all, and it had not been Vincent.

And that’s what truly made Vincent feel guilty, like he was just as fucked up as Hojo and Lucrecia. Doing this to the younger man, even if he was just bringing him back ‘home’, made him feel like he was on the same level as those overly ambitious, hard-hearted people. He had known Hojo more intimately than he would have liked, and no, Hojo had never raped or sexually assaulted him, but he knew the man was fully capable of it. And for all he knew, that demented pervert probably had diddled Sephiroth as a child, or even as an adult. Vincent knew about all the lab assistants that the man had coerced into doing vile, humiliating things for him. It was why most of them had quit rather quickly or simply disappeared without a trace. And as always, Lucrecia turned a blind eye to whatever Hojo did to others and probably to her own son, as well.

The thought made Vincent feel nauseous as he gripped the steering wheel in an effort to fight his urge to turn the car around and head in the opposite direction. He didn’t know the young man sitting behind him, but he still hated the thought of him being that bastard’s plaything, for several reasons. Some reasons were obvious while the other ones he wasn’t willing to admit even to himself just yet. Every time those thoughts creeped into his head, he brutally shoved them away. No, it couldn’t be. That…was just too cruel, too fucking godsdamned cruel. 

“Whatever they’re paying you, I can more than double it,” finally spoke Sephiroth, his smooth, deep voice breaking the tense silence between them. Despite being tranquilized and handcuffed in a stranger’s car, he seemed exceptionally calm, almost complacent, like he was just going to get the ends of his pretty hair trimmed.

Vincent wasn’t expecting the instantaneous effect that voice had on him. It made him shiver almost violently while it broke out his skin in uncontrollable goosebumps. What kind of voice he was expecting, he hadn’t known, but he still hadn’t expected it to sound so… _good_. Perhaps he just needed to finally get laid, since it’d been way too long since he had last partaken in sex with another person, let alone with his own hand. But that required being around another person, which he had little patience or desire for, especially since the thought of people touching him, male or female, sickened him. Even now it was hard to sit in the same car with this man with him right behind him. He had been hoping the younger man would keep quiet and just behave, but that hope had been ruthlessly shattered the moment Sephiroth had opened his sensual looking mouth.

Wait, did he just think of it as _sensual_ …? Fuck, what was wrong with him?

When the dark-haired man didn’t respond, Sephiroth leaned forward and offered, “Whatever it is you want, I will give to you. If you want me to kill someone for you, or to **fuck** you, I will do it. I will do _anything_ it takes…to not go back to them.”

Now _that_ …was surprising to Vincent, but not because he’d never encountered someone desperate like this before. It was surprising to hear this because Lucrecia had made her son sound like some senseless, violent beast that would strike like a snake whether provoked or not. Yet here he was, sitting calmly like a civilized person, albeit one that seemed intent on escaping his fate.

The gunman couldn’t deny that the younger man was extraordinary attractive, right up his alley in what he liked in men, at least physically considering that those dark street clothes, making his pale skin almost glow, clung to the younger man’s fit body in all the right places. It also helped that he seemed to resemble his mother some and thankfully not Hojo at all. Something else about Sephiroth looked eerily familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it just yet. Or more like, he was unwilling to delve deeper into that, since deep down, he knew why he was familiar to him.

Regardless of the physical attraction, he knew that this was Lucrecia’s son and this was just a job. He would get it done professionally without sullying the boy no matter how tempting Sephiroth became to him, which wouldn’t be easy since it had been much too long since he’d felt someone else’s touch. Despite his own strong aversion to being touched, to have someone like Sephiroth tempting him, someone Vincent could actually relate to, made it increasingly hard for him to resist him and even harder to not just let him go already.

“I don’t want anything from you,” quietly rasped Vincent after a few minutes, his voice hoarse from years of disuse. Normally the jobs he took here and there didn’t require actual speech on his part, and if it did, he didn’t speak more than a few words to his clients. What he never, ever did was meet them face to face. Lucrecia was an exception of course, though it had been her that had physically approached him. 

As for him not wanting anything from Sephiroth, well, it was _mostly_ the truth, more or less. At this present moment, he did want the younger man to shut up so he’d stop making this harder on Vincent. The more he talked, the more he wore down the older man’s carefully built defenses and Vincent didn’t like that one bit.

Sephiroth deadpanned, “You’re not a very good liar.”

And it was the truth. Vincent wasn’t good at lying, but not because he couldn’t do it. He just didn’t sugarcoat anything, didn’t lead people on, and didn’t offer social niceties because that was not within his nature to do so. Because of this, a lot of people often found him to be too abrasive, blunt, and depressing, which caused them to avoid him altogether. He was fine with all that, truthfully. The crimson-eyed man had long outgrown his need to socialize, to be amongst people.

Oddly enough, though he barely knew Lucrecia’s wayward son, he felt slightly comfortable in his presence. Did he trust him? Hell no. The boy was obviously up to something and looking for an angle. In other words, he knew that Sephiroth was testing him now.

“So, tell me, _Valentine_ , just why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?” Smoothly inquired the young man, placing special emphasis on Vincent’s surname as if it were something delectable. He smirked a little as if noticing how much stiffer the gunman’s body had become just from merely revealing that he knew his name. Or maybe it had been the way he’d said it, or possibly both reasons. Vincent didn’t know, but felt unnerved by it nonetheless.

Eyes on the road, Vincent was extremely thankful that the other man couldn’t see his expression right now because he was certain he must look shocked and flushed. Once he was certain that his voice wouldn’t betray him, he slowly inquired, “How do you know my name?”

“Answer my question first and then I’ll answer yours,” said the silver-haired man matter-of-factly as if Vincent should already know this.

“I was asked to,” the gunman said simply.

“By _who_?” Sephiroth snorted, his tone implying that he was annoyed by the purposely vague answer.

Vincent drawled, “It’s your turn to answer.”

“Fine. I was _told_ ,” answered the younger man with a smirk as he mimicked the older man’s response.

Obviously, he really wanted to know how Sephiroth knew his answer, because if he didn’t, he would have probably ignored him by lapsing back into his usual silence again. If the older man hadn’t been busy driving, he would have most likely stared at the younger man with an expression that would clearly show that he was clearly unimpressed. “By someone that I used to know.”

“And I by someone that I _still_ know,” said Sephiroth as he shuffled a bit in his seat, rolling his shoulders a bit as if he were uncomfortable.

If it wasn’t clear before, it was definitely clear to the gunman now that this boy was every bit as stubborn as he himself was. He would have to keep his wits even sharper now because even if he hadn’t been warned, he would have realized that this young man had above average intelligence, just by those clever, piercing eyes alone.

“Annoying, isn’t it?” Asked Sephiroth, smirking a bit as he watched the older man.

Vincent didn’t bother to respond to that since he knew the boy was just trying to goad him, but he still couldn’t help gripping the wheel more tightly. Realizing that it was actually kind of working, he loosened his grip on the wheel. No one could get under his skin anymore, not even Lucrecia, but here was her son, slowly digging his way under the PI’s skin like he belonged there.

“Did it even occur to you just how _easy_ it was to find me? I’ve been missing for a while and none of the others could find me, but you find me in a snap. Do you know why that is?” Inquired the silver-haired man as he continued to carefully watch the other man with his cat-like green eyes.

Now that it had been brought to his attention, Vincent realized it had been ridiculously easy to find Sephiroth. He’d found him in the _first_ place he had looked and it had been suspiciously easy to capture him, too. Although Vincent was exceedingly good at finding people, dead or alive, which was what his job usually entailed, it shouldn’t have been this easy. Sephiroth had eluded capture for an entire week and he was certain Shinra had sent some of his best men to track down the escaped man. All the warnings in the file handed to him had labeled Sephiroth as violent, unstable, and dangerous, but so far, the younger man hadn’t shown that side of himself at all. It didn’t mean it wasn’t there, lurking just under the surface, of course. What it probably meant was that Sephiroth had _allowed_ him to find him and to take him. But why? What was his plan here? Why would the escaped boy do such a reckless thing when it was obvious he wanted to be free from Shinra and its scientists?

Although he wasn’t particularly willing to continue playing this game, Vincent still admitted, “No, I don’t know. So, tell me.”

“Nothing is ever for free, _Vincent Valentine_. You want to know, then give me something.”

The dark-haired man frowned, his brow wrinkling. “I have nothing to give.”

“Now that’s a lie. You have _plenty_ you can give me,” purred Sephiroth as he leaned back and slowly spread his achingly long legs more apart as if suggesting something utterly scandalous.

The older man cursed under his breath at his unfortunate timing because that had been the moment he’d chosen to glance at Sephiroth using the mirror, and with the way it was angled, he saw _everything_ pretty much. It made him swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, before he tore his eyes away while his treacherous body began to simmer with unwanted lust. Clearing his thought, he said, “Fine. What do you want? Besides letting you go, that is.”

“I want to know _why_ you’re doing **this** , why you’re working for that cunt,” sneered Sephiroth, his face no longer amused. The PI suspected this was probably the first real glimpse of emotion that Sephiroth had shown him.

Vincent’s lips set in a thin line and despite his own hatred for a woman he still couldn’t help loving, he still flinched when her own son had referred to her in such a derogatory way. He knew it was true, at least in his mind and in Sephiroth’s mind, too. Just thinking about what that woman had done to Vincent, and to her own child, was what kept him from defending her honor.

What unsettled him even more was that he’d calculated Sephiroth’s age, which was twenty-one according to the file. The last time he’d had sex had been with Lucrecia, had been roughly twenty-two years ago. Which now thinking on it, forced him to acknowledge thoughts he had been trying previously to deny. A large part of him suspected that this boy was his son by blood. Now he knew why he had initially believed Sephiroth had looked strangely familiar to him. The boy looked like a stunning combination of Vincent and Lucrecia, which both pained him and angered him because he’d missed out on his own son’s life. Still, he could very well be wrong about Sephiroth’s true biological father.

Half of him hoped Sephiroth wasn’t his while the other half…pined for it to be true.

Just thinking about it made him sick, especially since he, while unintentionally, had nonetheless ogled his own son. Not to mention the fact that the boy had casually offered to fuck him as means of payment, like he was some John and Sephiroth a prostitute. Gods, this entire situation was so sick and twisted that he was at a loss of just what to do now.

Had he known about Sephiroth, would he have done something? Vincent liked to think he would, but back then, he hadn’t mentally been in the best of places. He knew he probably would have made a half-assed attempt, would have ultimately given up, and that pissed him off royally though he knew it was true. Why was he so damn weak and pathetic? He was a man, dammit, and he knew he should be better than that, better than this. Even now, he should be better than what he was. So why was he still persisting on dragging the reluctant boy back to hell? Why didn’t he just take him somewhere safe so those people could never hurt him again?

“She’s worried about you,” weakly explained Vincent, which caused him to cringe at his own artificial words. Even he didn’t believe that feeble excuse. No true mother would ever subject her son to what Lucrecia had done to Sephiroth. He knew he was being a hypocrite right now because here he was judging this woman so harshly when he didn’t even have the balls to stand up to her, to defend this poor boy. This innocent, who had probably been raised his entire life in a small cell in that facility like a lab rat, had been tormented by test after grueling test.

Why couldn’t he just do the right thing?

For the first time since he’d woken up, Sephiroth tore his gaze away from Vincent to stare balefully out the window. His voice sounded hard and bitter as he scoffed, “Don’t make me laugh. She’s like a business worried about losing a big investment. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Vincent lapsed back into silence, or he tried to, but the younger man wouldn’t let him. “So, are you going to answer the question?”

“She asked me to find you. Claimed you were in danger. Said Hollander’s boys would hunt you down. That they might hurt you, or worse,” relented Vincent after sighing quietly. Normally, he’d easily ignore people and their insignificant questions, but like with Lucrecia, he found it difficult to ignore Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smirked at this and leaned so close that the older man’s nostrils were invaded by his distinctly masculine, yet clean scent. Vincent swore he could almost feel the younger man’s breath rolling against his neck, making him shudder again. “An empty threat. They wouldn’t come after me, and even if they did, they wouldn’t search very hard. With me gone, Genesis will be Shinra’s top star and Angeal is _pussywhipped_ by him. No, they both want me gone, believe me. Despite what people have claimed, what the television shows you, they were never my friends. Not real ones anyway.”

Leaning back, the younger man’s expression softened slightly to one that looked like a mixture of fondness and sorrow. It was almost like he was thinking about someone special that he used to know. As if he were talking to himself, he murmured, “I only have _one_ friend...”

Suddenly snapping out of his brief reverie, intense green eyes snapped back onto Vincent as his expression erased itself and drew back that trademark nonchalant look of his. Despite this, his words were almost a snarl as he spat, “Besides, that still doesn’t tell me _why_ you’re doing this. What is your stake in this? Did she promise to let you fuck her dry, old pussy or something? Because if that’s the case…I’m sorry, but you could do so, so much better…”

The vulgarity of how it was worded made Vincent cringe more than the actual thought. No, she hadn’t offered, but she probably would have if she thought it would have gotten him to do what she wanted. Despite what Sephiroth thought, Vincent felt too much revulsion towards that woman to be able to get it up. He had loved her once, still did in some deep, darkened part of himself, but there was just too much hate and pain distorting his mind when it came to Lucrecia. She was no longer the same woman he had loved over twenty years ago. She had changed, or perhaps, she had revealed who she truly was. He liked to tell himself that it was Hojo that had changed her, but that was just too convenient a thought. Despite the shit done to Vincent by both of their hands, he had become the disjointed recluse that he was today because he had chosen to. He could have sought help, he could have leaned on his old friends. But no, he hadn’t done as such. Like the coward he was, he’d slunk into the shadows and avoided everyone until he needed money, which was why he even bothered investigating things for people.

As for Lucrecia, his reasons for helping her wasn’t completely for her. Instead of offering sex, she had played the mommy card and had tried to convince him that her son wasn’t safe out in the world, that he needed to come back home where it was safe and secure. Yes, a part of him still felt swayed by her and he wanted to believe she meant what she’d said. But now as he thought about it, she had said many things that seemed to contradict the person he knew her to be now. For example, if she truly cared about her son, she wouldn’t keep him locked up like some endangered animal in captivity to endure gawking eyes and probing hands and instruments. What they wanted him for, he didn’t know, but the files had indicated that he’d never been released to the world without a handler to guide him and keep him in control.

So, this meant…it was Sephiroth’s _first_ time in the real world and not in some fake warzone testing facility or The Arena. He’d done some extra research and had seen internet videos and articles about how Shinra’s poster boys were used in something called The Arena, a controlled place many spectators were able to watch the “Generals” battle it out against one another or against other combatants. It looked and sounded degrading to parade people around like that, to make them perform like trained fighting dogs. Vincent didn’t even like the idea of animals being used to fight for entertainment. So, thinking about this young man being forced to perform like that whenever he was ordered to…well, the thought made Vincent’s heart clench in his chest while his stomach felt sick enough to spew its contents. It was a good thing he hadn’t eaten anything yet today.

“No. There’s nothing in it for me,” finally said Vincent and it was the truth. He wasn’t doing this for himself. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw the younger man staring out the window at the passing buildings and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. The way he peered outside reminded the gunman of a small child fascinated by the world. Teenagers and adults would have simply stared outside, bored by the scenery of the city as they lost themselves in their own thoughts.

Without looking at Vincent, he queried, “Then why?”

Vincent couldn’t help but note that Sephiroth seemed _relieved_ somehow. He couldn’t tell by the mask of indifference he wore, but he noticed it due to how the boy sounded calmer and less hostile. It was obvious to the gunman that Lucrecia was a touchy subject for Sephiroth, which almost made him smile because she was a touchy subject for him, too. Seemed the longer he spent in his company, the more things he was finding out that they both had in common.

“I don’t know,” answered the gunman honestly though he knew that answer would probably incite the other man’s ire. He’d thought he’d known earlier, at least to some extent, but now he wasn’t so certain. Just why was he doing this? His own thoughts, words, and actions seemed to be contradicting one another and it bothered him.

Sephiroth scoffed. “That’s not an answer. How can you not know?”

“Why does it matter?” Asked Vincent, suddenly wondering why this boy, no, _man_ , wanted to know so badly. Compared to Vincent, he was a boy, but looking at him now, though he was very young, he still knew he was a man although he tried to think of him as a boy. It didn’t work.

Sephiroth tore his gaze from the window to stare at the PI and almost looked like he was going to roll his eyes as if thinking Vincent was either really thick or thought Sephiroth was. “Why does anything matter? Because it just does. People want to know things…they _need_ to figure it out or it drives them mad. If this weren’t true, you wouldn’t be humoring me right now.”

It was difficult not to agree with that viewpoint, but Vincent still didn’t say anything to confirm or deny it.

“If you only knew what they were planning…” Mumbled Sephiroth as he stared down, his face contorted in unrestrained fury.

Vincent quietly asked, “What are they planning?”

Looking startled, as if Sephiroth hadn’t meant to let that slip, he kept his mouth firmly shut. Vincent frowned, but returned his eyes on the road. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

The younger man tilted his head slowly to the side at an angle, causing several strands of his gunmetal-colored hair to fall in his eyes. “Oh, so now you’re trying to help me? Considering I was drugged and I’m currently handcuffed, it looks to me like you’re helping _her_.”

The raven-haired man didn’t say anything since he knew Sephiroth was completely correct about that.

“Do you still love her?” Inquired Sephiroth, eyes fixed on Vincent before he said, “Don’t play stupid, you know exactly who I mean. If you answer that, I’ll tell you what they’re planning.”

Vincent really didn’t want to answer that since not only was it none of Sephiroth’s business, it was something he didn’t ever want to admit out loud. It was one thing to think it in his head, but if he said it aloud, then there was no taking it back. He couldn’t help wondering why the younger male even cared about such a thing.

“I’m taking your silence as a yes,” snorted Sephiroth, who didn’t seem particularly pleased by this knowledge.

Feeling the rage and repulsion simmering in his belly, Sephiroth next hissed, “I wonder if you’d still go through with this...if you knew everything. Are you truly so heartless, Valentine? I’m not innocent anymore, haven’t been for several years, but she is innocent and she’s only _fifteen_ fucking years old, for Gaia’s sake. She doesn’t deserve what they want done to her. Even if I can’t _perform_ , they will harvest my sperm and artificially inseminate her with it until it finally takes. We’re not people to them, we’re _specimens_. I’m Specimen S and she’s Specimen A.”

“Is that why you ran?” Quietly inquired Vincent, feeling disgust well up in him at the thought of this young man being forced to copulate with a teenaged girl, even if it was by natural or artificial means. He briefly recalled his own childhood and how at fifteen, he hadn’t yet been mentally ready to have sexual relations with anyone, let alone make a child. Sure, his body had always felt ready, but his mind had been far from ready. Hell, just working up the courage to ask someone out, or tell them he liked them had been tough for him. His first time hadn’t been until he was nearly eighteen-years-old. He knew for males it was different when it came to sex when compared to females. He couldn’t even imagine how a girl would feel, especially at that tender, confusing age, about being pressured to not only give up her virginity, but to also bear a child with someone she probably didn’t even love. It was sickening and cruel, which made him grip the steering wheel so hard his nails bit into the leather.

The PI then relaxed his grip when he realized the younger man could just be manipulating him right now. This could just all be one intricate lie after another designed to knock and keep him off his guard. If that was true, then what was Sephiroth’s endgame? If he had allowed himself to get caught so that he could twist Vincent up in his lies, then what was his true motive? Perhaps he was looking to turn him against Lucrecia and Hojo in hopes that the gunman would do what, shoot them both dead? It didn’t seem likely considering what he’d read in Sephiroth’s file. So, what was it then?

“Partially, yes,” answered Sephiroth, his beautiful face no longer darkened by his own rage. Now it was back to that default blank slate again that he seemed so dead set on wearing most of the time. The lack of emotion on that face disturbed Vincent more than anything else so far since it made him appear less human.

“The girl, your friend, I’m assuming, you left her behind knowing what they wanted?”

“So, they told you the bare minimum then. Doesn’t surprise me,” said Sephiroth.

Vincent narrowed his eyes before he suddenly pulled to the side of the road. He was weary of whatever game this was and just wanted it to end. The PI had a hunch that the younger man specifically wanted something from him, but what? Whatever it was, it was nagging at him enough to distract him from something as simple as driving. Turning around in his seat, he looked coolly at the silver-haired man and asked, “What is it that you want?”

The younger man wasn’t even looking at him at this point. His eyes were wide and unfocused as if suddenly realizing something, before snapping into a look of concentrated rage. In the next moment, Sephiroth twisted in the seat and kicked at the car door violently a few times until it broke off and flew off the car. He then rolled out of the car and landed catlike on his feet as his arms strained against the handcuffs, ignoring the pain of the electrocution until the cuffs snapped, effectively freeing his own arms. His arms steamed from the electricity, but he paid it no mind as he took off running, so quick and agile that Vincent could barely track the black and silver blur that was the escaping Sephiroth.

“What are you—“ Started Vincent before pain exploded in his shoulder. Ducking after the hit, he narrowly avoided another bullet that burst through the driver door window and whizzed on past him. Had he not moved, it would have hit him in the head or neck. Bowed down, he pulled out his handgun, the one with the real bullets, and stayed low to avoid being hit again. He would have crawled into the back, had the door still been there, but Sephiroth had ruined that option, apparently. Instead, he stayed low as he crawled into the passenger seat and opened the door quickly before slipping out. Using the car as a shield, he crept towards the end and took a quick, cautious look. He snapped back when another bullet sailed past him and into the brick wall of a building. Cursing under his breath, he knew he was trapped here until he could figure out how many shooters there were and where their locations were. Hopefully there weren’t that many of them and until he figured something else, he would have to stay here. He could always slip back in the car and drive off, but he didn’t want to leave Sephiroth, wherever that suicidal bastard had run off to.

As he sat there wondering if Sephiroth was okay, he then wanted to smack his own face hard. Of course, what if the shooters were _with_ Sephiroth? After all, they hadn’t started shooting until he had escaped and streaked away from the car like he’d been on fire. That seemed unlikely the more he thought about it. Sephiroth had managed to escape on his own and break his handcuffs without anyone’s aid. Then again, nothing made sense to him at the moment, especially that complicated young man. For all he knew, this was just some fucked up game Sephiroth was playing after losing his mind. Being subjected to what he had all his life, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sephiroth’s sanity had snapped after all of those years.

Suddenly, more shots were being fired almost in the opposite direction of Vincent. He thought them stupid for not using silencers, but then again, maybe they simply didn’t care or perhaps they weren’t true professionals. There was also the sound of men yelling commands and some of them cursing profanities before there was several thuds as several heavy objects collided with the pavement. Sneaking a quick glance, he saw several smashed bodies littered all over the sidewalk and street. From what he could tell by their gear and weapons, they looked to be some kind of hired armed forces. Who they worked for, he couldn’t quite pinpoint just yet. He just knew something had killed them. Or more like, _someone_.

Glancing up at the four-story building that loomed behind the bodies, Vincent saw Sephiroth perched on the ledge of the building, knees bent and hands gripping the ledge. Their eyes connected for a moment, even from that distance, and Vincent felt a strange feeling in his chest that felt too much like nostalgia, but wasn’t quite that. A sound then distracted him, causing him to tear his eyes away from the younger man to spot a handful of men in what looked like swat uniforms, spilling out of one of the buildings quickly and were aiming what looked like assault rifles at Sephiroth. He watched as the younger man turned his head to coolly regard the armed men as if they were nothing but annoying insects.

One of the men, presumably the leader, shouted a command for Sephiroth to stand down, to surrender.  It sounded like the situation was quickly becoming hostile, especially with the way some of the men shook holding their rifles. Whatever they had been trained for, it hadn’t been for this.

Vincent had no way of knowing who had sent these men and why, but he didn’t think they belonged to Shinra since he’d personally served Shinra many years ago. He knew how that company operated well enough to know it wouldn’t have been anything like this. It was also obvious to him that they weren’t cops, either. It seemed like their intentions were to bring him in alive, but that didn’t mean they had tranquilizers in their guns, especially considering Vincent had been shot at with bullets, and that didn’t mean they wouldn’t harm Sephiroth. There was also the possibility that their orders had been to bring him down dead _or_ alive. Dead being the last resort, but dead nonetheless and that made the PI’s lips curl and teeth grit together.

Rolling away from the car quickly, he rose up as he aimed his handgun and shot in quick succession until every single man was down on the ground, either critically injured or dead. At this point, he didn’t give two fucks if they all died today. Twenty years ago, he would have felt something despite his years killing people as Shinra’s special agent, but now, now he felt absolutely fucking nothing for these men. The only thing he felt right now was concern for the man he believed was his son, and then there was the pain in his shoulder from his wound. It had healed some, enough to halt the bleeding, but it still throbbed with each breath he took.

Before Vincent could take cover again, more shots rang out adjacent from him, some hitting him in various parts of his body. Pain flooded him then, causing him to fall to one knee. Quickly adjusting the direction where he pointed his firearm, he aimed and shot the trickle of men that had seemingly popped out of nowhere. He was dimly aware of more shouting, which sounded disturbingly close, along with the sounds of something snapping or crunching near him. Breathing shallowly, he tried to calm himself, but his vision was already turning red and he felt the familiar, yet unwelcome shifting of his own control. Vincent was losing a lot of blood, too many wounds to heal in time and there was still a threat hanging ominously in the air, so his body, in its need for self-preservation, was reluctantly handing the control over to the pitiless monsters inside of him.

Crumpling gracelessly to the ground, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, though he did try to fight it because if those things gained control over him, they would kill a lot of people until someone took him out, _if_ someone did or even could. He hoped if they took over, Sephiroth would be able to take him down. Although he could live with the blood of countless people on his hands, since well, he already had a lot of blood on them, he found he couldn’t bear the thought of unintentionally murdering his own son. In his mind, he begged for Sephiroth to kill him, to stop him before he did something truly despicable that couldn’t be undone.

Almost as if answering his prayers, Vincent felt himself being dragged away until suddenly he was pulled up and his back propped against something hard, probably brick, so that he was sitting upright. Hands were on his face and a man’s voice, sounding distant, was telling him that it was _okay, that he was safe now._

The warm hands felt good on his clammy skin, making him sigh shakily as he pressed his face into those hands almost like a cat would. It suddenly scared him how much he now _yearned_ to be touched, how after twenty years of having an extreme aversion to it, he now fucking wanted it more than anything. The rage pulsing beneath his skin seemed to ebb away the more those hands stroked his face and his unruly hair. Whenever he groaned or made some other garbled, distressed sound, he was hushed like a child suffering a nightmare.

It took him a few long moments to realize that he had his own hands bunched up in someone else’s shirt or coat, he didn’t know which. The hands on his face and in his hair moved down to rub soothingly along the length of his trembling back. Each stroke calmed him down until the violent shaking of his body became nothing more than a slight shiver now and then. It wasn’t long until his body and mind were both completely calm and the beasts inside of him were calm, yet disappointed.

Safe, he felt safe now. It was almost like being in his mother’s arms again. Only, he knew that it wasn’t her since she had died nearly thirty years ago and that these strong hands obviously belonged to that of a man.

So, _who_ …?

Whatever pain, confusion, or rage he felt was soon shunted out by the person holding and caressing him. It caused his eyes to slide shut because each gentle caress and low, murmured word lulled him far away from reality until all he knew was blissful darkness.


	2. Doing The Right Thing

When Vincent next awoke, it was to muffled moans and the feeling of lying on something relatively soft and comfortable. The more aware he became, the louder the moans became and the more sore and shitty he felt. It was obvious then that the moans were coming from a man and a woman having sex, rough sex, by the sound of it. It took him several moments to realize the sounds were coming through the wall of the room next to the one he was currently in.

“Relax, you’re fine,” drawled the familiar voice of Sephiroth in a tone that almost sounded bored. Snapping his attention in the direction of that voice, he spotted the young man sitting in a chair, a good ten feet between them, while he looked to be reading something on _Vincent’s_ phone. He looked annoyed for a moment when the woman in the next room screamed her orgasm. When she quieted down, Sephiroth’s annoyance visibly appeared to recede.

“Where am I?” Croaked Vincent, his throat parched and his lips cracked. Slowly sitting up, he regarded Sephiroth more closely and found hearing people going at it and staring at the man hadn’t been a good idea. Fortunately, a thin sheet covered his lower half, temporarily shielding his slightly aroused state. It was then that he noticed he was shirtless and his body was wrapped with gauze and medical tape. This suddenly reminded him of what had happened before he had passed out. Sephiroth was here and alive, so that meant the man had stopped him from transforming somehow. He couldn’t help the relief that flooded him as he stared at the silver-haired man.

“In a motel room. You slept the entire afternoon and night. It’s morning now,” answered Sephiroth as he used a finger to swipe at something on the older man’s phone. He briefly glanced at Vincent before jerking his chin towards the bedside table next to the bed. “There’s a glass and pitcher of water right there. Drink some.”

Swallowing what little saliva he had left, Vincent didn’t bother to reply as he reached for the glass that was already full. He noticed Sephiroth was making it a point not to watch him at the moment because as soon as he was finished drinking and had set the glass down, the younger man looked at him. He realized Sephiroth had done so out of courtesy for him. Vincent had never particularly liked anyone watching him closely whenever he drank or ate since it always made him feel self-conscious and nervous. The younger man might possibly be the same way, especially considering he’d grown up closely scrutinized by Hojo and others. This thought caused the unquenchable guilt to return full force.

“I slept next to you, I hope you don’t mind,” said Sephiroth, yet his tone implied he wasn’t apologetic at all. There seemed to be a ghost of a smile pulling slightly at the corners of his mouth as if he knew something the other didn’t.

Ignoring the thought of that man sleeping right next to him, since it would have swept him into territory he didn’t want to venture into, Vincent instead asked, “Who were those men?”

Sephiroth shrugged. “They didn’t have ID’s or phones on them nor anything indicating who they were working for. It could be several different people for all I know. Apparently Shinra has many enemies and rivals. If he doesn’t acquire me back, then he stands to suffer a huge hit to his cash flow. Not that I particularly care…”

That made sense to him considering that many people paid to attend the Arena events, social parties, and more. It was clear to Vincent from his research that Shinra’s ‘Generals’ were used as more of a cash machine than actual protection for the people or even for the President. Out of them all, Sephiroth was the fan favorite, which meant a colossal chunk of Shinra’s profit was due to the youngest of the ‘Generals’. If Shinra lost him, he would lose a staggering amount of his own money, though he’d probably still survive on his other investments without him. Still, rich people always strived to be richer since they were never content to settle for what they had, which was way more than they ever needed in their lifetimes. Thinking about this was beginning to upset Vincent because he realized this young man was a _slave_ , which meant he had no rights and for all he knew, Sephiroth might have been forced to…

Growling, he pushed away such thoughts since they threatened to make him vomit up the water he’d just consumed.

“What do you want from me?” Finally asked Vincent. It had been one of the first questions drifting around in his head for a while now. Especially now that Sephiroth had stopped him from transforming and had obviously seen to his wounds. He could have easily killed him, or left him for dead, but he hadn’t, and Vincent desperately wanted to know _why_.

Sephiroth locked the phone and slipped it into his pocket as if the device belonged to him. Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded Vincent with that same stoic mask that the older man was quickly learning to hate seeing. Nonchalantly, he countered, “What makes you think I want anything from you?”

Not in the mood to play this game, Vincent growled, “You want something. You let me find you, you came back and…it’s obvious I can’t physically hold you. I’m wondering if those tranquilizers even worked on you, if you were faking _that_ …”

Sephiroth’s slow smirk was all the answer he needed regarding the tranquilizers. Which meant he had probably allowed him to shoot him and had faked the entire thing. But why? Obviously, he wanted something specific though he was sitting there denying it for some unknown reason.

“It would take more than two to take me down,” admitted the younger man as he tilted his head slightly to the left.

“Duly noted,” drawled the gunman as he glanced down at his own bandaged chest. The bandages were still white, none of them stained with blood, which meant they’d probably been changed while he slept. That notion strangely touched him since it had been an awfully long time since anyone had ever done anything to help him.

“You should probably eat something before those people start up again,” said Sephiroth as he rose up from his chair to stride over to Vincent with something in his hand that looked like a wrapped-up sub.

Despite himself, Vincent found his eyes drawn to narrow hips and then down endlessly long legs as the man walked toward him. It didn’t help that the younger man walked with a smooth swagger that made him closely watch the way those hips swayed with each stride. He was suddenly thankful Sephiroth’s pants weren’t tight enough to show off his dick, but he could still see a bulge. The fact that he was even trying to find something there disgusted him especially considering Vincent never thought of himself as a pervert, let alone this was probably his own son he was ogling yet _again_. He really needed to get his shit together fast before he did something stupid that couldn’t be undone.

“See something you like?” Teased Sephiroth, a slight lilt to his deep voice as if he was more than just pleasantly amused.

 _Fuck_. He’d been caught staring like some peeping tom. Looking away quickly, Vincent couldn’t stop the blush that bloomed on his pale face. He didn’t bother to say anything because there really was no point denying it or making up some lame excuse at this point.

He saw movement, which made him look and realized Sephiroth was holding out the food to him. Vincent shook his head slowly, not trusting his own voice at this time. His stomach was tied up in nervous knots coupled with the nausea rising up his throat. Even if he were hungry, he wouldn’t be able to keep the food down. Ever since his ‘rebirth’ as Lucrecia had so dubbed it, Vincent hadn’t needed that much sustenance, although he knew he would need some really soon due to his injuries. But still, the mere thought of food caused his unsettled stomach to clench even more painfully.

“Suit yourself,” said Sephiroth as he set the sandwich down on the night table near the pitcher of water. Without warning, he abruptly sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over, which caused several handfuls of long, gunmetal colored hair to fall forward and temporarily tickle the bare skin of Vincent’s arm and side. Like a doctor or a nurse, he clinically peeled some tape and gauze off from the older man’s torso to take a peek at the wounds. Whatever he saw seemed to please him since he immediately set to carefully removing the rest of the tape and gauze from the gunman’s bare upper body. When he had removed everything, he rose up from the bed and strode over to the trashcan to discard the soiled bandages.

Vincent sucked in a sharp breath at his proximity, doing his best to remain as unaffected as possible, which wasn’t easy considering how torturously close the younger male was to him. Sephiroth was so close to him that he could feel his heat and breathe in his unique, intoxicating male musk. He flinched when he felt the hair tickle him and had to stamp out the impure thought in his head when he began imagining that long hair brushing against _other_ parts of him. The raven-haired man fought to control his breathing when he felt fingers brush against his skin, seemingly lingering longer than was normal, before removing all the tape and bandages. If he didn’t wrangle a hold of himself now then he knew he’d have a rather noticeable tent that was impossible for a thin white sheet to hide. To combat his simmering lust, he repeated in his head that this man was his _son_ , his child, well, might be, and that feeling any sexual desire towards him was dreadfully wrong. To some extent, it worked, but to his own horror, it didn’t completely diminish the fire.

Apparently, a part of Vincent didn’t give a single fuck that he wanted to bend his own son over and fuck him like an animal in rut.

It took the crimson-eyed man a minute or two to realize that the slightly taller man was staring down at something specific. When he realized just what it was, he quickly made a move to tug the sheet up to hide his chest, but Sephiroth grabbed both of his arms to prevent him from doing so. Glancing down at himself, he noticed his horribly scarred flesh was tinged pink and that all the bullet wounds had pretty much healed now. Although he was relieved about that, he was more concerned about his state of undress. Mainly because his scarred body made him feel terribly self-conscious and unworthy to be in Sephiroth’s presence. Vincent didn’t even like looking at himself in the mirror and whenever he showered, he avoided looking as much as necessary. Looking at himself always reminded him of the worst day of his life, the day they had turned him into a monster. And the day that Lucrecia had revealed that she’d never once loved him.

When the PI looked up at the other man, he noticed Sephiroth was now staring directly at his face. Meeting his gaze, Vincent thought he saw something that distinctly resembled sympathy there, as if he understood it all on a very personal level. This made the older man drop his hands limply in his lap in defeat since there was no use hiding something that had already been seen. The sympathy he saw in those intelligent eyes was much harder to bear not because it was aimed at him, but because of the underlying truth that Sephiroth had gone through something disturbingly similar, perhaps even worse than him. It bothered him to know that this young man, someone he saw as innocent, had suffered all of his life.

Vincent himself wasn’t innocent. He’d chosen his career at Shinra without anyone forcing him into it and up until then, he’d had a relatively normal life. He’d had a choice and that was what he’d chosen for himself. The gunman had willingly killed all of those people and on some instances, had tortured some, too, when it had been necessary to do so. It was kind of laughable that he worked as a Private Investigator now, that he refused to kill any more people for money, and that he was alarmed by his own simmering lust for a young man that could be his son. His lingering morals were pitiful, so why did he choose to cling to them? The PI was far from innocent and in some ways, he couldn’t help feeling like he deserved the monsters inside of him.

But perhaps that was why Vincent clung to his few remaining morals. If he didn’t, he was afraid he’d willingly let those things out and despite how far gone he was in the head, and in the heart, he didn’t want to let them out. Especially not now that he knew about Sephiroth’s existence. Son or not, he was already growing attached to this young man he’d just met the day before.

“I’m not taking you back to them,” muttered Vincent as he looked away, no longer able to bear that intense gaze. He was well aware that it would probably be nearly impossible for him to actually drag Sephiroth back to that facility because of the man’s strength, cunning, and abilities. So why did he say it? It was probably just to hear himself confess it, but more for Sephiroth’s benefit. It was suddenly important to him that this young man didn’t rope him in with those other people. No matter the vile things Vincent had done in the past, he still wanted Sephiroth to be safe and to know that he wouldn’t betray him.

“I never doubted you,” divulged the silver-haired man quietly. Sephiroth didn’t appear to be surprised by Vincent’s statement at all, yet he still smiled at him before he gracefully rose up from the bed. Fishing out Vincent’s phone, he glanced at it as if checking the time. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he looked back at the older man and said, “It’s almost time to get going. There’s time for a decent shower, though, if you feel so inclined.” And then the younger man smiled knowingly as if he knew what was currently afflicting Vincent.

“I’m fine,” stubbornly said Vincent even though he felt grimy as if he hadn’t bathed properly in days. He probably hadn’t. His hygiene and nourishment habits weren’t like they used to be. Because of his general attitude towards himself and the world, he didn’t pay as much attention to his needs like he used to.

Before Sephiroth could open his mouth, the sounds of two men having sex drifted in through the walls. It sounded like it was coming from the same room that had had the sounds of a man and woman having sexual intercourse. It really didn’t help manners that Vincent could almost clearly hear the headboard of that bed slamming against the wall as one of the men was roughly fucked by the other. Some of the moans sounded muffled, as if the man being fucked had his face buried in a pillow or the mattress. All Vincent knew was that they were fucking loud as hell and he was tempted to take his gun and shoot into the room to shut them up. Half-naked and lower half covered by a thin sheet, he really didn’t need to hear the sounds of men having sex right now. All it did was remind him of his own abstinence and the fact that the man he believed to be his son was someone he felt tempted to end his celibacy for.

“I was wondering when those two would start up _again_ ,” snorted Sephiroth with one raised eyebrow, his arms crossed while his body tilted to one side, which made most of his weight rest on one leg. When he received a questioning look from the older man, he elaborated, “They’ve been going at it for a good portion of the morning. I think it’s a married couple that hired a male prostitute. Must be a cheap one if they’re able to fuck him for _hours_.”

The notion hardly fazed Vincent at all. Although he’d never personally partook in a threesome or shared someone with another, the idea of it didn’t shock him in any way. However, that didn’t mean he wanted to sit there listening to it especially since he was half-naked and half-erect in front of a very alluring, forbidden man. One he shouldn’t feel tempted by at all. Even if Sephiroth wasn’t his biological child, he was still twice his age and didn’t need to be sullied by a jaded person like Vincent. A part of him called bullshit on that since he knew his own morals were fucked up anyway. What was age really? Unless Sephiroth was still in a diaper or still going through puberty, age meant nothing at all.

“Well, since you’re not going to take a shower, I will. If you change your mind, you can still take one _after_ me,” announced Sephiroth as he immediately began pulling his shirt off over his head as if he undressed in front of Vincent every day. Although he wasn’t stripping slowly, he still took enough time to drape his shirt over the back of the chair he’d been sitting in earlier. Sitting down, he removed his boots before he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. It only took a couple of good yanks to get the pants off of him and once removed, he draped those over the chair, too. The only thing remaining were his black box briefs, which he yanked off as well and then stood up in all his naked glory.

Vincent felt paralyzed, unable to move or look away as he watched the younger man undress in front of him. The more skin revealed to his hungry eyes, the harder his erection became under the sheet. Despite himself, he couldn’t help drinking in every inch of skin, every hard angle and muscle on that glorious body. He sucked in a sharp breath when he realized that Sephiroth was clad only in his underwear before the man shucked that off, too. His eyes followed his movement as the younger man stood up and he cursed under his breath when he realized he was staring hard at the limp, well-endowed organ. He cursed again when he began imagining touching it, sucking it, and being fucked by it.

“See something you like… _again_?” Purred Sephiroth in amusement, which caused Vincent to instantly snap his lusty gaze up at the other man’s smirking face.

Vincent didn’t say anything, just stared back unblinkingly. He’d been caught staring and there was no denying it, but he’d be damned if he admitted to Sephiroth that he had liked what he’d seen. No, not liked, _loved_. If he were allowed the honor, he would live on his knees paying tribute to that body for the rest of his life.

Before the dark-haired man could look away, Sephiroth slowly turned around and turned his head, which caused his hair to sway to each side a bit, tickling the smooth, pale skin of his back and his round, yet muscular buttocks. Vincent was immediately drawn to the younger man’s ass, the sight of it making his parched mouth feel even dryer as he continued to stare shamelessly. Gods and demons, this man’s body was sheer perfection and the longer he stared, the more he wanted to crawl out of the bed, close the gap between them, and touch every single inch of that beautiful skin. He couldn’t help wondering if that silken looking skin, stretched over hard, corded muscle, was as soft as it looked.

Then he noticed something else that made him furrow his brows and frown. He noticed a multitude of long, jagged and raised scars that appeared slashed randomly all over the young man’s back. It looked like to him that it could have been caused by deep wounds inflicted by some type of whip perhaps and looked old. He felt stumped by that because in the file, it’d stated that Sephiroth had the ability to heal quickly depending on the severity of the damage done. The longer he stared, the more scars were revealed to his horrified eyes. Most were as wide, uneven, and pale as the first one was. He probably hadn’t noticed right away because the old scars were nearly the same color as his skin. The gunman was almost tempted to get up to get a closer look, to trace his fingertips over the skin that appeared somewhat raised, but he didn’t trust himself not to touch that back or any other part of the alluring man. And despite the realization that something or someone had hurt Sephiroth, enough to scar him like that, he was still hard and wanting, though his erection had flagged a bit.

Who had done this to this man and why? Then he recalled in the file something about a handler. Lucrecia had mentioned to him that one of the people Sephiroth had murdered had been his handler and several lab techs and guards. She seemed reluctant to talk about the handler, but when Vincent pressed her for more information, she mentioned the handler had been brutally killed whereas the rest had had their necks snapped. The fact that Sephiroth had torn his handler apart meant he had had a grudge against him, had hated him. The longer he stared at that retreating back, the more he believed that this handler had been a cruel man, had most likely whipped Sephiroth to the bone and most likely from an early age.

Had Lucrecia truly allowed this? It sickened him to know that not only had she allowed her own son to be some lab experiment, she had allowed him to be abused. Had she allowed him to be raped, too? And if so, how young had he been? That particular thought made his erection die down completely, made his stomach twist in painful, nauseous knots. He wouldn’t put it past her now that he knew who she truly was. Whatever lingering love he had once felt for her, was quickly dissipating the longer he remained in Sephiroth’s presence. The more he learned, the more he wanted to hurt Hojo and Lucrecia both. He wanted to break them, to make them feel everything that they’d done to his beautiful son.

Closing his eyes, he sighed shakily. So Sephiroth was his son now? He’d been vehemently denying it since he found out that this young man existed. Denying it because if Sephiroth was his son, it meant he had failed him…and also meant he was a sick, depraved man for lusting after his own flesh and blood. How could he be so judgmental against those people when here he was, a guilt-ridden pervert? Well, these were only thoughts, not actual acts, after all. He’d never raised a hand to hurt Sephiroth and had he known about the boy beforehand, he liked to think he would have done something. Would he have? Gods, he hoped so because the mere thought of allowing someone to torture or rape his son, made him violently ill. Why anyone would do such a thing, he didn’t know. What he did know was the lash marks on this man’s back had been a way to break him, to punish him.

The door shutting made him open his eyes and realize that Sephiroth had left the room. The sounds of the shower made him sag back against the bed and sigh heavily. Although he felt like utter shit now, he felt relieved that he was no longer aroused. It took him several long minutes to realize that the men screwing in the room next to theirs had finally shut the fuck up. If any of them started up again, he would probably march out there clad only in whatever he was wearing, and beat on the door until someone opened it, and when they did, he’d tell them to shut the hell up or he would shoot them. He knew this was some seedy motel, but still, people paid to rest here and if someone wanted to fuck, fine, but be fucking quiet about it. Get a gag or something, damn.

Ripping the sheet off from his body, he quickly realized he was wearing only his black boxer briefs. It took him a minute or more to remember when he’d last changed them, and when he did recall, he sighed in relief when he realized they were clean. He’d showered and changed before heading out to track down and capture Sephiroth. Vincent wasn’t exactly a dirty person, but his years as a recluse made him forget to shower sometimes, or even wash his clothes. It was mostly because he didn’t really care one way or another. He didn’t hang around people anymore, which caused him to forego basic hygiene because really, what was the point?

But now there was a point to it, he realized. His true intentions may not be to fuck his son, but he found he still wanted to be clean and groomed for him anyway. The thought of driving Sephiroth way, for any reason at all, pained him deeply. Realistically, he knew he should just get up, put on his clothes, and leave. He was already too attached and in such a short amount of time, too. If he didn’t leave now, he may do something incredibly stupid, something he wouldn’t be able to take back once done.

With that in mind, the PI forced himself out of the bed though his newly healed body still protested since it still felt achingly sore in places. It also didn’t help that he hadn’t eaten in days or weeks. When he last had consumed food, he didn’t know. He just knew it hadn’t been for quite a while. It made him feel less human to know he could survive far longer than other normal humans when it came to injury, lack of water and food. He supposed that if he actually took better care of himself, then he wouldn’t feel so inhuman, but he knew that even if he did, even if he took a wife and had kids, he would always look in the mirror and see a monster with glowing, crimson eyes. He also knew there wasn’t anyone in the world willing to love someone like him, especially not when he didn’t even know _if_ he could ever love someone again.

Glancing around the room, all he spotted were Sephiroth’s clothes draped over the chair and the two pairs of boots by the door. Walking over to the dresser, he opened each drawer until it was revealed that each one was just as empty as the next. Frowning, he wondered where Sephiroth had put his clothes? Better yet, where was his _guns_? The only other place he hadn’t searched was the bedside tables and the bathroom. After looking in each table drawer, all he found was some holy book and in the other was an old phone book. Neither one looked like they had been touched in ages. With the ever-changing technology of the world and the growing atheism, he wasn’t at all surprised by that.

Looking back at the younger man’s clothes, he briefly contemplated taking them, since they were close to his size though admittedly, Sephiroth was a little taller and had more pronounced muscles compared to Vincent. He axed the idea as quickly as he thought it because the notion of Sephiroth having to leave the motel clad only in underwear seemed too humiliating, especially considering the fact that his back looked like a wildcat had used it as a scratching post for years.

Oh, who was he kidding? Certainly not himself because he knew the real reason why he stayed. Even if his clothes were available to him, or another set he could use, he knew his stubborn mind would just come up with another excuse to stay. He was being selfish and he knew it. Sephiroth didn’t owe him a damn thing, yet Vincent still wanted to know more about him, to know why he had saved him. Not to mention how much he really knew about Vincent, because obviously the man was familiar with him even if he wasn’t certain how.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave,” remarked Sephiroth after he had emerged from the bathroom, looking rather pleased with himself as if he’d trained a dog to do tricks. A white towel, barely big enough for a man his or Vincent’s size, was barely wrapped securely around his waist. Beads of water trailed down his neck, chest, and his legs as he strode towards the chair.

Ignoring that comment, Vincent swallowed thickly before tearing his gaze away after fantasizing about licking every single drop of water off from that magnificent body. Feeling himself beginning to stir again below the waist, he coughed, “Where are my clothes?”

“In the bathroom, of course, though they are _new_. I had to throw away your old clothes, I’m afraid. Too many bloody holes in them, you know. I hope you don’t mind,” answered Sephiroth though his tone implied he didn’t care one way or another if Vincent minded. Any sane person would realize that it wasn’t exactly wise to walk around wearing bloodied clothes. Vincent probably wasn’t exactly sane since he would have put them back on even if they had been in bloody tatters barely covering his body.

“You have ten minutes to shower and dress before we leave. Use your time wisely,” said Sephiroth as he glanced down at Vincent, eyes briefly glued to his crotch suggestively before he looked away, smirking.

Vincent felt his mostly soft dick twitch at the suggestion, which caused him to stride quickly, yet stiffly towards the bathroom without another word. Though he felt eyes burning into his back, he didn’t dare look back as he entered the bathroom. Once inside the humid room, he easily spotted the folded-up clothes located on the sink. He also noticed something bulky and oddly shaped wrapped up in a towel, which prompted him to touch it, which felt hard. He realized it was probably his firearms swathed in the towel. Unwrapping the towel, it was then confirmed to his eyes that both of his guns, along with his holsters, had been packaged inside.

Stepping hastily in the shower, he turned it on and quickly went to work clinically scrubbing his skin of any remaining particles of blood, dirt, or any other kind of grime. He took care to avoid getting his hair wet, though it was impossible not to get some wet after soaping up and scrubbing at his pale face. While he washed, he struggled with the temptation to masturbate since he was naked and very sexually frustrated though he was only half-hard at the moment. Even if he had more time to jerk off, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it quietly. When it came to sex, Vincent was a very vocal person, which was a bit comical since everything else about him was deathly quiet. He knew there was no way he could quickly rub one out without Sephiroth overhearing any noises. He could always try to be quiet, to bite his lips or his tongue to stifle the lewd sounds, but he knew that wouldn’t work.

So instead, after he had cleaned himself up enough, he adjusted the water temperature until it was ice cold. Standing with his head tilted back to avoid the water, he stood frozen as the cold water pelted his chest and abdomen. When his partial erection had died down sufficiently, he turned off the water and stepped out. Roughly and quickly toweling his body off, he avoided looking in the mirror though it was mostly frosted from the humidity. Grabbing the clothes, which were thankfully mostly dark colors, except for the crimson, lone-sleeved shirt, he dressed first in his underwear and then in the black jeans that fit his body perfectly. After yanking on the shirt over his head and arms through the sleeves, he next took his gun holsters and adjusted them to his body before buckling closed the leather strap across his chest. Fortunately for him, Sephiroth had been considerate enough to get him a simple knee-length dark [trench coat](https://static.zerochan.net/Levi.full.1595642.jpg), which easily concealed his firearms from view. Especially considering his old, worn one was most likely splattered with blood and riddled with holes. That coat had been well over thirty-years-old and Vincent found he didn’t much mind parting with it. He hadn’t kept the old one out of sentiment. It was just a coat, after all.

When Vincent exited the bathroom, he was not at all prepared for the appreciative, lingering glance that the fully-dressed Sephiroth gave him as he slowly looked him over. Gods, it’d been ages since someone, _anyone_ , had looked at him in such a way and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that, especially not from his own flesh and blood. Despite not being too happy with his own altered appearance, he could still admit, or at least accept the fact that he knew he was still relatively good-looking.

“You clean up rather nicely, Vincent Valentine,” said the silver-haired man as he handed Vincent back the phone he had recently _borrowed_ without asking. His fingers lingered a bit after placing the device back in the gunman’s hand, before pulling away and breaking the brief contact.

Ignoring the compliment, or at least he tried to since he couldn’t stop the flood of warmth that followed those words. Coughing again, he walked towards the door and grabbed his boots so that he could slip them on his feet, which he did as quickly as possible. It was still hard to swallow that someone like Sephiroth, blood relation or not, found _him_ of all people, attractive. It was hard to fathom such a notion when the younger man was so ethereally, _heartbreakingly_ beautiful, as if a being like him belonged in another realm. And maybe he did, since this world seemed to have been nothing but cruel to a stunning creature like Sephiroth.

“Ready to go?” Asked Sephiroth as he met Vincent by the door after slipping on his own coat, which matched Vincent’s almost exactly in style and color, except that unlike Vincent’s, Sephiroth’s coat was a foot or two longer in length.

The PI nodded and just before Sephiroth opened the door to exit the room, the moaning sex noises from before started up again. Vincent snarled loudly in irritation at that, which caused Sephiroth to chuckle in amusement. After they had excited, the slightly taller man watched in amusement as the raven-haired man stalked over to the door next to their motel room.

“Knock it the fuck off already or I’m going to come in there and shoot you fuckers dead,” Loudly growled Vincent through the door after he had violently banged on the door a few times. He didn’t give two fucks that they were leaving and would no longer have to suffer hearing those nymphomaniacs going at it like rabbits.

Whether it was from shock or self-preservation, or a mixture of both, the people in the room immediately stopped having sex and silenced all and any noises as if afraid the psycho growling through their door would actually follow through with his threat.

“I would actually love to see _that_ ,” commented Sephiroth with mirth after Vincent had walked back over to him so that the taller man could begin leading them away.

Ignoring that comment and figuring the younger man had a set destination in mind, the gunman then asked, “Where are we going?”

Sephiroth didn’t answer until they had safely crossed the street to the other side. Glancing over at the man that walked beside him, Sephiroth stated, “You’re taking me back to the facility, remember?”

 “I told you that I changed my mind. Or did you forget that?” Growled Vincent.

“I remember, and I appreciate it. But it doesn’t change the fact that that’s where we’re headed,” answered the younger man calmly, his hands buried in the pockets of his coat since the day was a bit on the chilly side.

Vincent scowled, clearly frustrated by this present situation and by how little he understood of Sephiroth. “Then why?”

Looking at the older man from the corner of his eye, Sephiroth said, “We both have unfinished business there, wouldn’t you say?”

The crimson-eyed man didn’t know what to say in response to that because he really had no clue what Sephiroth meant by that and had the distinct impression that the younger man wouldn’t tell him even if he begged to know. So instead, he lapsed into silence as he walked beside the other man on the sidewalk.

After ten minutes or so, Sephiroth led him into an alleyway, out of view, which was smart considering that there was probably a lot of people looking for Sephiroth and probably looking for Vincent, too, since he was now an accomplice. Though the younger man had stated they were going to the facility, he still didn’t know how exactly they’d be getting there since it was probably still a good number of miles away. And even if they could somehow go back to Vincent’s car, the place was probably still swarming with police, or at least being watched by some cops on duty.

Not being able to hold back any longer, Vincent suddenly stopped walking and questioned, “Why did you save me? Why do you care?”

Halting his steps, Sephiroth looked over his shoulder at the older man. He then countered, “What if I told you that I loved you? Would that answer your questions?”

“I wouldn’t believe that. You don’t even know me,” deadpanned Vincent though the suggestion that the younger man loved him actually did affect him more than he was comfortable with. He really hoped he wasn’t blushing right now because the way the younger man was looking at him right now was doing all sorts of unwelcome things to his neglected body.

“Oh, but I do know you. I know _everything_ about you,” purred Sephiroth as he leisurely turned around and strode over to Vincent, each step slow and purposeful like he was stalking prey. Pushing the older man against the wall, he boxed him in with an arm pressing a hand against each side of his head. When their faces were inches apart, he said, “She never loved you, but I do. I love you…more than you could ever know…”

“Sephiroth—” Started Vincent before he was cut off by a pair of silky lips crashing against his open mouth. A tongue immediately forced its way into his open mouth, eagerly tasting every part of him it could reach while deepening the bruising, fervent kiss. Sephiroth’s hard body then pressed against him, effectively pinning him to the brick wall. Every thought and every protest in Vincent instantly diminished, only to be replaced by pent-up hunger, which resulted in him kissing back just as ravenously and just as desperately.

Vincent was so fucked.


	3. Love

It was difficult to breathe properly, to even want to part for breath when that mouth devoured Vincent’s with such mounting hunger and intensity that if he weren’t pinned to the wall by Sephiroth’s larger body, he probably would have collapsed down onto his knees like an ardent worshipper before a God. Hips ground hard into his own, causing a prominent hardness to rub against his own erection and despite where they currently were, and all the questions left unanswered, every single fuck he had had in his head was suddenly absent.

A surge of arousal made Vincent push back against him, his arms winding around the larger body, bare hands grabbing and clawing at the younger man’s back almost frantically. Kissing him more deeply, the gunman’s mouth pried open Sephiroth’s mouth to plunder every part of it he could reach with his tongue. He pressed against him harder with such bruising intensity that he was sure they’d both have bruises from the rough, fervent kissing, grinding, and groping. It was just so hard to care when it just felt too damned good, too right even though in the back of his mind, he was aware that this was so utterly wrong.

When that salacious mouth suddenly broke the kiss, and pulled away from him, Vincent couldn’t help the dejected noise, which sounded suspiciously like a fucking _whimper_ , slip past his panting lips.

It took Vincent a moment or two to realize that Sephiroth had dropped down onto his knees before him. Nimble hands worked quickly to open the fly of his pants and before he knew it, his erection was tugged out with care. The sudden feeling of cold air and warm hands touching his enflamed length caused him to gasp and buck his hips in surprise. Two hands pushed him back against the wall of a building, pinning them there as hot breath ghosted against his quivering skin. It was all the gunman could do not to fight the hold or whimper pathetically, though some noise still managed to escape him. Looking down at Sephiroth now made him suddenly realize just **what** was about to happen and with _who_. Feeling a mixture of panic and revulsion at himself, he reached down and covered his privates as much as possible with his hands before his son could get any closer.

Annoyed and confused lust darkened eyes looked up at him questionably as if what he was doing utterly made no sense to him. The younger man released Vincent’s hips from his hold so that he could attempt to pry Vincent’s hands away, but when the gunman stubbornly resisted, he huffed, “Vincent…what are you doing?”

“We can’t do this,” answered Vincent honestly as he shook his head. Deep down, he knew that this was utterly wrong, that even allowing Sephiroth to kiss him, to grind against him, had been wrong. Another part of him, the selfish, moral less part that didn’t give any fucks, scoffed at his own moral righteousness. It demanded that he just give in already and enjoy something he’d deprived himself for over two decades. After all, it wasn’t every day that such an alluring man with a mouth and body made for sin, got down on his knees before him.

Hands resting on Vincent’s locked wrists, he nuzzled one of the gunman’s hands affectionately, almost like a cat would. “Why? Do you not find me attractive enough?”

Vincent wanted to laugh at that, but chose not to. Sephiroth thought he didn’t find him attractive? If the younger man knew what the ex-agent did, and how much lust he felt, he would probably be both appalled and frightened. A part of him didn’t want Sephiroth to know, wanted the younger man to keep believing they were unrelated, but that part of himself was selfish and cowardly. He would have to swallow what was left of his pride and his fear before he did something he couldn’t take back. Kissing was one thing, but if he let Sephiroth perform any sexual acts, then there would be no going back from there. It couldn’t be undone once it happened and the last thing he wanted was this traumatized man to endure more fucked up shit.

In his head, Vincent thought he heard someone or something laughing mockingly at him. Whether it was the monstrous things inside of him, or the selfish, iniquitous part of himself that lusted for his own son, he didn’t know and found he didn’t really care at this point. Let them laugh. It wouldn’t change the ugly truth of things or even what he had to do now.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, the gunman closed his eyes and said, “You are a beautiful man, that I can attest to, but you don’t understand, Sephiroth…you are…this can’t be…because…”

“Because what?” Lowly inquired the younger man as he gazed up at Vincent through his long lashes, his slightly swollen lips glistening from their make out session. The gunman made the mistake of opening his eyes when he heard Sephiroth speak, so he quickly closed them again to avoid looking at the all too tempting man on his knees.

Trying to ignore his twitching, turgid dick, Vincent’s nails dug hard enough in his skin to cause enough pain to distract himself from his own arousal. Steeling himself to work past his jittery, yet stiff nerves, Vincent opened his eyes again and quickly confessed, “Because you are my _son_ , or at least, I believe you to be.”

Vincent expected many things, but what he didn’t expect was Sephiroth bursting out into amused laughter to the point he nearly had tears leaking out from the corners of his bright eyes. Why would he be laughing? What was so funny about that? He had thought Sephiroth would be angry, disgusted…and hell, he had expected to be hit or something, but not…not _this_.

“I already knew _that_. I’ve known for **years** already,” Sephiroth divulged after his laughter had died down sufficiently. He continued to nuzzle Vincent’s hand, even kissing it now and then as he did so. The younger man bit lightly against the skin of Vincent’s hand and poked his tongue out to soothe the skin he’d nibbled on.

Of all the things that the younger man could have said, he hadn’t expected _that_ even though earlier his son had confessed to knowing all about Vincent. If Sephiroth had known that Vincent was his biological father, then why would he want him in this way? It suddenly occurred to him that Sephiroth might be testing him right now. If so, had everything since the moment they’d met been a goddamn test? Whatever the reason, he had to know since it was eating him alive to the point he was probably at risk for delving into utter madness. Swallowing hard, the gunman then weakly asked, “What? What do you mean…by that?”

Taking advantage of Vincent’s distracted state, Sephiroth quickly shoved the older man’s hands away. His long tongue licked a quick stripe from the root to head before his mouth quickly and mercilessly began swallowing down every single inch of the gunman’s prick that it could.

“F-fuck…Se-sephiroth,” stuttered the older man in a low groan, the back of his skull slamming against the brick wall. He barely noticed the sharp pain due to the hot mouth working him with such expertise it was clearly obvious to him that his son had done this before. Such a thought made him grit his teeth at the spark of irrational jealousy that followed it. How could he dare be jealous of anyone that’d been with this gorgeous man? Better yet, why was he even allowing his own son to suck him off like some common whore? He should stop this…he really should…should just push him away and zip up his pants. It was wrong on too many levels, but with each suction of that glorious mouth and stroke of that long, skilled tongue, and even the careful scrape of teeth, his care ebbed away until all he could do was moan and take it as he rocked his hips. Strong, elegant hands anchored themselves to his hips, but they didn’t stop him from fucking that delicious mouth.

Deciding to test how much he could get away with, the gunman twisted the fingers of his right hand into long, gunmetal colored hair and pulled hard enough to spark some pain. He was surprised when Sephiroth moaned loudly around his dick, which in turn made him groan his own gratification from the pleasurable vibrations as he thrusted into that wicked mouth. Yanking the younger man’s hair harder, yet not hard enough to rip out any hair, he was rewarded with another gratuitous moan as his son continued to bob his head, using teeth and tongue to tease him. In the back of his mind, he was beginning to suspect that Sephiroth had a kink for pain, or at least, for hair pulling. Later on, when the haze of pleasure had lifted, he would come to find that it disturbed him to know that he actually wanted to find out which one it actually was.

Because it just felt too damn good and because he hadn’t been connected to someone in this way for so long, he found himself spiraling quickly to his own release. Tightening his hands in Sephiroth’s silky hair, he attempted to pull that wonderful mouth off of his dick, but the other man wouldn’t relent. Hands tightening their grip on the gunman’s hips, the younger male ignored Vincent’s silent protest and redoubled his efforts to pleasure him and most likely to make him come. It wasn’t that Vincent didn’t want to come, he did, oh he really did want to come into that mouth or even on that beautiful face, so fucking badly, but he felt it was rude to not warn the other man of his impending release.

“Sephiroth, I’m going to—“ Vincent warned, but his words halted the moment blazing green eyes lifted to meet his own burning red eyes. The moment their eyes connected, the PI lost it completely. Whether he cried out, praised god, or whatever else, he didn’t know nor did he particularly give a fuck. By the time he came down from his high, his cock was already tucked back in and his pants zipped up. It took him a few moments of searching around to realize that the younger man was leaning against the wall right next to him with his arms loosely crossed against his chest and a small smile on his beautiful face as he keenly watched Vincent. The only testament to what they’d just done was Sephiroth’s mussed hair and swollen, wet mouth.

Now that Vincent was no longer aroused, the weight of what had just happened bore down on him unforgivably. It made him look away to cast his eyes in shame to the ground because he didn’t deserve to look at him and if he continued to do so…he just might be tempted to touch him or worse, do more than merely touch. He’d violated his own child’s mouth, yanked his hair, fucked his mouth, and by the looks of it, he had even come into his mouth. It didn’t matter that Sephiroth had instigated it, had gone through with it despite Vincent’s own protests, because it didn’t change the fact that it had been wrong. It had been wrong and depraved of him, yet...

… a part of him feel that it hadn’t been.

“That’s the first time I’ve done that with someone I’m actually attracted to,” mused Sephiroth, interrupting Vincent from his own tortured thoughts as his own gaze settled on the wall of a building across from them. Although he hadn’t been the one to achieve sexual release, his glazed expression looked like he had.

Vincent instantly regretted looking at him then, so he jerked his eyes away and cursed under his breath since looking at him had caused his cock to twitch with renewed interest. It took a few moments for him to realize something and when he did, he instantly turned back to Sephiroth and asked, “What do you mean by that? Did they force you to…to…”

The gunman trailed off, his jaw clenched from the disturbing thought of it, and couldn’t bring himself to voice it. The very thought made him sick to his stomach and he desperately hoped he was wrong.

Sephiroth seemed to notice the older man’s reaction because he ended up saying, “No, I was never raped, if that is what you’re asking.”

Vincent frowned, but felt immense relief flood his mind and body although he still felt incredibly tense despite his release. “Then what did you mean by that?”

"Let's just say...I was _rewarded_ whenever I co-operated with them or won an Arena event, which was something offered to Angeal and Genesis, too. This started when I was barely fourteen, after they realized I was **only** attracted to men. If I didn't like who they brought me or if I wasn't in the mood, I sent him away," revealed Sephiroth, speaking and looking like such a thing was normal for an imprisoned teenager when truly, it wasn't. Turning his head to look at Vincent, he smiled again as if such a thing was trivial to him. "But none of that matters now. I don't want that life anymore. Not that I ever did...but you're the one. You're the first person that made me truly want to break free from that place…and live. You liberated me."

Vincent had to frantically bite down the surge of jealousy that had flared up from within him. He really had no right to be jealous of whoever Sephiroth had slept with, but he felt he did have a right to feel angry and disgusted that they had treated his son like a caged animal all of these years. Although Sephiroth hadn’t stated it, Vincent had a hunch that most, if not all, of these 'encounters' had probably been recorded. He really hoped such things hadn't been put online for all to see, or to buy because he knew once something like that got online, it was there for good. Or maybe...high bidders had been allowed to partake in or at the very least, watch through a double-sided mirror. All of these thoughts sickened him so much so that with every stiff step and sharp breath that he took, he itched to get his hands on Hojo, Shinra,  _and_  Lucrecia. It was in this moment that he realized that whatever love that he had had left for her no longer lingered within his being at this present moment in time. It felt strange to suddenly feel the many years of dwindling emotions and feelings gone only to be replaced completely by rage and hatred. Perhaps later, it would come back, but the more he thought about it, the more he hoped that it never did.

When he looked back at Sephiroth, he was suddenly aware that he felt something deeper than merely lust for this young man. He couldn't quite place what it truly was just yet, but it felt treacherously similar to love, or some type of affection or infatuation, which was understandable considering what they'd been through so far and because this man was his son.

“Come on, let’s go,” spoke Sephiroth as he pushed off from the wall and began to walk away, the movement drawing Vincent’s eyes to those long legs and that muscular, round ass that had his eyes remained glued to for longer than was necessary. He remembered what that ass had looked like without the barrier of clothes and felt the overwhelming, primal urge to yank those pants off to touch it, taste it, spread it, and fuck it. Fuck, he was a mess, a horrible depraved mess. No matter what he told himself or how hard he tried to keep his thoughts from going the perverted route, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about what he wanted to do to the younger man. No one before had ever drove him to such distraction before in all of his life. He also noticed that Sephiroth’s gait seemed slower and deliberately seductive as if he were still trying to bait him. Or was his fucked-up brain just imagining things again?

“I don’t understand. Before yesterday, we’d never met. I have done nothing…absolutely _nothing_ ,” said Vincent as he continued to follow Sephiroth through mostly vacant alleys. He nearly pulled out his gun when he spotted someone leaning against a wall, hidden mostly by a dumpster. When a disheveled woman hastily scrambled away, he then realized what they had been doing. If his mood wasn’t bitter, he might have felt amused by the fact that the woman had been doing to the man exactly what Sephiroth had done to him not too long ago.

Temporarily distracted by the man and woman hastily scurrying away, it seemed to take Sephiroth a moment or two to process what the gunman had said. He didn’t seem to be too concerned about it since he dismissively said, “True, but that doesn’t matter. I told you before, I know everything about you…well, _almost_ everything. Before today, I didn’t know how you would taste, but now I do. Only thing I have left to find out…is well, _you know_.”

Vincent was quickly growing weary of the younger man’s cryptic answers. It bothered him that not only did he not know where they were headed, he also didn’t know what exactly it was that this man wanted from him. Ignoring what Sephiroth had implied, he grabbed the younger man by the forearm and forced him to turn around to face the gunman. Crimson eyes narrowed, he growled, “What is _this_? What is this fucked up game you’re playing? What do you want from me?”

Sephiroth's face betrayed nothing as he stared back at Vincent without blinking even once. He glanced down at the hand gripping his forearm before he ripped his own arm away from the agitated man. Voice quiet, he answered, "This is no game to me, Vincent.  As for what I want...that should be fairly obvious. You're the PI…figure it out." 

And then Sephiroth turned back around and resumed walking through the alleys to whatever it was his destination was. Whether he wanted the gunman to follow, he didn't say or gesture otherwise. 

Gritting his teeth behind closed, pale lips, Vincent watched his presumed son stride away for a minute or two before his own stiff legs moved to follow him. He knew he should just go, leave the city and find somewhere else to live. The younger man was better off without him, he knew, and if he continued to allow Sephiroth near him, he wouldn't be able to stop this or stop himself. The green-eyed man had some sort of vice-like hold on him that Vincent seemed to have trouble breaking out of. He found it was nearly impossible to deny him anything that he wanted. Several minutes ago, when they had been kissing and pawing at one another, he knew that if Sephiroth had wanted to fuck him or be fucked by him in the filthy alley, Vincent would have done it without protest. And he would have enjoyed it even though afterwards...he would have surely hated himself for it. 

Just like he despised himself right now for allowing his own son to go down on him, to give him carnal pleasure no child should ever give to their own parent. It was wrong, or so he kept trying to tell himself. Why was it wrong again? Sephiroth wasn't a child anymore and Vincent himself hadn’t personally raised him as his own son. Sephiroth might be young, but he was still undeniably a grown man capable of making his own choices and really, Vincent didn't even know for certain if they were even related. And even if they were, it's not like one of them could get pregnant. The younger man obviously wanted this, wanted him like—

— _Shut the fuck up!_  He growled inside his own head. Disgusted by the fact that he had begun rationalizing incest between him and his son, he shook his head as he stalked after the younger man. 

Sephiroth eventually led him out into a seemingly mostly vacant parking lot which had maybe one or two cars parked in random spots. One of the automobiles, an inconspicuous black car, started its engine and slowly headed in their direction. This made Vincent tense and begin to reach for his handgun since this seemed highly suspicious to him.

“At ease, _soldier_ , I know them,” soothed Sephiroth in slight amusement as soon as he had noticed Vincent’s hand reaching for one of his guns.

“Who are they?” Questioned the gunman though he half-expected the younger man to spit out another frustrating as hell, cryptic half-answer. The funny thing about that was Sephiroth was acting just like Vincent, more or less. He didn’t know if that was just how the younger man really was or if perhaps he was merely teasing him since earlier Vincent himself had been pretty enigmatic, too.

“My friend and her father. _Relax_ ,” answered Sephiroth as he glanced at Vincent as if to check if he was reassured. Once he seemed satisfied that the gunman wasn’t going to blow anyone away, he then approached the van in quick, purposeful steps that rippled with trust and confidence. The driver’s window slid down to reveal the face of a middle-aged man with kind, yet tired eyes. Vincent remembered seeing that face somewhere, but couldn’t quite place it just yet. The man glanced at them both, his eyes lingering on Vincent for a bit longer before he nodded curtly and motioned quickly for them both to get in the car.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Sitting stiffly in the back seat of the car, Vincent closely watched a young girl, presumably Sephiroth’s only friend, chatting animatedly with Sephiroth from her spot beside him in the back. Although he was very uncomfortable sitting in a stranger’s car going to gods-knows-where, he felt some comfort having Sephiroth sitting beside him, right in the middle of the him and the adolescent girl. If the girl had been in the middle, or sitting in front of them in the passenger seat staring back at them, it would have agitated his already frazzled nerves.  

Vincent offered no input as he sat there listening and subtly observing their interaction. The driver seemed to be doing the same; even though his eyes were clearly focused on the road, yet the gunman could still tell that the man was avidly listening to their conversation. Apparently, the driver, whose name was Gast, was the girl’s father and the girl was called Aerith.

The more Vincent watched Aerith and Sephiroth, the more he believed they looked good together, like two pieces cut from the same cloth. If they actually had children together, he could imagine how beautiful and strong they’d be. His stomach dropped unpleasantly at the very thought of it, of both of them together as man and wife. The girl, _Aerith_ , or whatever her name was, seemed kind and mature for her young age. She was obviously better for Sephiroth than he was, that much he was certain of. Still…the very thought made him want to shoot something and puke at the same time, though he had no right to feel this way.

But then he remembered that Sephiroth had claimed he was _only_ attracted to men. If that was true, then what he was imagining would never happen. But what if it wasn’t true? What if they were actually together and…

What if Sephiroth was lying to him, was playing him because he wanted something unsavory from him? He had claimed that it was no game, but how could the PI know for certain what the truth was? He couldn't and probably wouldn’t ever know and that's what truly bothered him. Vincent had once believed that Lucrecia had loved him, had wanted to have a life with him, but that had obviously all been a lie on her part to get something she wanted from him. And that something had probably been Sephiroth.

Like anyone else, he had wanted to grow old with someone and he had actually wanted kids and a house with a family that he could always come home to. The real kicker here was that  _now_  he probably couldn't age, or perhaps aged very fucking slowly, since for over twenty years, he still looked the same damn age he'd been before he had been turned into a monster by the very person he had loved and trusted.

And now, now he actually had a kid that no one had ever bothered to tell him about. A child that was now a man and a seductive, dangerous one at that. Though he could see some traits of Lucrecia in him, he was becoming more distinctly aware with each passing minute just how much similar Sephiroth was to him in looks and personality. As much self-hate that he carried every day for himself, he could not find it in himself to feel any hate for someone that reminded him of himself, of the way he had been before he had been transformed into a bitter, pitiful monster that masqueraded as a human man.  

And yet, Vincent still selfishly wanted him with every fiber of his being. Even the part of him that screamed that his desire was so fucking wrong and deranged, it still wanted Sephiroth around in some way, even if they couldn’t be lovers or even friends. So how could he just get up and leave, just like that? He had to leave, he should leave, but nearly every part of him was screaming for him to stay, to protect and love this young, tortured soul in whatever way that he could. Sephiroth was still young, which meant there was still time to help him, to prevent him from turning into what Vincent was now. 

“You should not have come,” sighed Sephiroth, his words obviously aimed at the girl beside him. Although his attention was mostly focused on the girl, his left hand placed itself on Vincent’s thigh, which was dangerously close to the older man’s crotch. He squeezed the flesh a few times before he just let his hand rest there passively. Whether the touch was meant to tease him, to soothe him, or to just connect them, Vincent didn’t know. What he did know was that he should remove that hand, but his own arms felt locked together crossed against his own chest. Gods, the hand on his thigh seemed to be burning straight through his pants, which caused his pulse to race and his breathing to become more uneven. He longed to unlock his arms and to place his own hand on top of that graceful yet strong hand. He wanted to grab that hand, squeeze it, stroke it, and kiss it. The longer he sat there, his leg pressed against Sephiroth’s and that hand burning a hole through his thigh, the more tempted he was to crawl onto his own son’s lap.

Vincent was a grown man, a middle-aged man. Whether he was in his forties or fifties, he couldn’t really remember and didn’t much care to at this point. All he knew was that Sephiroth was at least twenty years younger than him and despite the people the younger male had killed or fucked, the gunman still felt like Sephiroth was vastly innocent compared to him. It was frustrating that in spite of how old he was, Vincent’s once dormant body was firing up with all sorts of unwelcome hormones like he was a damned teenager again. It was growing increasingly hard to merely sit there and listen when every part of his body wanted to be connected to the younger man in every sinful way that he could think of that promised pleasure for them both.

“I know, but I wanted to see you again. I worry about you, you know,” said the green-eyed girl with a quiet sigh.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Just worry about you for now. You and your father need to leave the country until things are better for us all. You can always come back, or I can find you,” said the silver-haired man, sounding very much like he was her big brother.

Aerith slowly nodded her understanding, but still seemed uncertain since she questioned, “What are you going to do?”

Temporarily distracted from his raging hormones, such a question piqued Vincent’s interest. Watching him closely, the gunman mirrored Aerith’s question by also asking, “Yeah, I’d like to know that, too. Just what are you planning exactly?”

For the first time since they’d entered the car, Sephiroth turned his complete attention back to the raven-haired man. “That old hag asked you to bring me to her, so that’s what you’re going to do. That’s where we’re headed right now. We both have unfinished business with those people so it’s time we settled it before moving onto anything else.”

“Unfinished business?” Repeated Vincent slowly as if the other man had spoken in a different language that he couldn’t understand.

Sephiroth nodded. “Yes, unfinished business. I’d say it’s long overdue, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean by that?” Asked the gunman, his complete attention focused on the silver-haired man. He was vaguely aware of the girl sitting on the other side of Sephiroth, gawking at them curiously, but he didn’t care, so he ignored her for the time being.

Leaning closer to the PI so that he was barely inches away, their mingled breaths rolling against each other’s pale skin, Sephiroth murmured, “Vincent, do you trust me?”

“What does that—“ Began Vincent quietly before he was interrupted by the younger man. Sephiroth’s close proximity was distracting him more than anything else at the moment. His eyes kept darting down to those sensual lips and every time he looked at them, he remembered just where they’d been and what they’d done to him less than an hour ago. It made heat sizzle in his belly again, which caused his limp dick to jolt with interest once again. It then dawned on him that Sephiroth was purposely using his sex appeal to distract him. _Again_. The younger man had done this since the very start and persisted on doing it pretty much every time Vincent wanted answers from him. Unfortunately for the gunman, it had worked every single time and even now, it was _still_ working even though he was keenly aware of it. If he had had the room to lean away, he would have, but he had a feeling the other man would have followed him anyway and…well, he probably would have allowed it.

Sephiroth was quick to cut him off. “—I’ll ask again, do you trust me?”

“Yes…” Whispered Vincent without thinking as his crimson eyes flickered between vivid green eyes and an all too tempting mouth that caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He could scarcely recall what the question had been at this point or why it even mattered in the first place.

“Then trust me on this,” said Sephiroth, his low voice dripping like silk as his hand trailed up the older man’s thigh before slipping over to lightly trace the outline of the PI’s cock through his pants.

Vincent’s breath hitched in his throat when he felt the clever fingers teasing his encased length. Clenching his jaw, it was all he could do to not grab him by the wrist and crudely rut against his hand, all right in front of that young girl. Suddenly remembering Aerith, that thought managed to cool down his lust enough for him to resist making a fool of himself in front of the driver and the adolescent girl.

“You have no idea how badly I want to crawl onto your lap right now,” whispered Sephiroth, breath tickling Vincent’s ear and neck while his hand squeezed him, but not hard enough to hurt. His voice a pitch lower, yet still deep, he added, “Or how badly I want to fuck you.”

Whatever blood had been left in his brain had drained completely at this point. Vincent couldn’t even remember why he should be resisting right now. All he knew was that teasing fuck of a man was too close, was touching him, and was whispering some of the very things that he found himself desperately wanting. The ex-agent was just about to turn and grab Sephiroth to kiss him senselessly and grope at him when the car suddenly stopped and Gast’s voice announced, “All right, _boys_ , we’re here.”

Rudely shaken out of his lustful thoughts and would be actions, Vincent blinked slowly as Sephiroth leaned over him, his long gunmetal hair tickling the gunman’s neck as it swayed, to open the unlocked car door. Looking around, he realized that he recognized this street and upon closer inspection, he saw the familiar facility that Lucrecia worked at, off in the distance. They were close enough to get there by foot, yet probably far enough to avoid detection unless the place had satellite surveillance.  

Sliding out of the car, the PI gingerly stepped out until his shoes touched asphalt again. He felt a bit woozy as he stood there now that he was in an upright position and had fresh, cool air hitting his face and filling up his lungs. Turning away from the car, he quickly unbuttoned his pants and adjusted himself to give himself some relief and so that walking wouldn’t be completely painful, though it would still have some level of discomfort no matter how he adjusted himself. Now that he was out of that stranger’s car, he felt his anxiety beginning to wane a bit. Not to mention since Sephiroth was no longer pressed against him and teasing him, he could actually reign in some much-needed self-control and hopefully will his erection down.

Of course, hearing the younger man step out of the car to join him, _behind_ him, didn’t help matters much especially since he was fully aware that soon the two of them would be _alone_ again. He knew that he really needed to get himself under control before things got out of hand again. Fuck, who was he kidding? As if he could say no to someone like Sephiroth. He had no idea what was going on right now, yet still he blindly followed him despite the younger man’s reluctance to fully let him in on the agenda.

“Good luck, I hope all goes well,” wished Aerith, which sounded genuine. Although his back was turned, his head was tilted enough to catch a glimpse of the girl from the corner of his eye. She must have thought he couldn’t see her since the smiling girl gave Sephiroth a thumb’s up gesture while she winked at him. Vincent nearly turned around to glare at her, but thought better of it. Instead, he remained with his back to them and acted like he hadn’t witnessed a thing.

“It will,” assured Sephiroth softly as he stepped closer and leaned over to press a kiss to Aerith’s forehead. Despite it obviously being a chaste, platonic kiss from one friend to another, Vincent still felt some jealousy blaze up within him. Godsdamn, he really needed to get a grip already.

“I hope so,” said Aerith. When her friend had stepped away to stand near Vincent, she called out, “And nice to meet you, Vincent! You’re even more quiet than Sephiroth is and that’s saying something. I see where he gets it from now.” And then she waved goodbye before closing the car door. As soon as the door was shut, the car was already quickly pulling away as if eager to get out of a really shady, bad neighborhood. In a sense, it was one.

The gunman quickly turned to Sephiroth and stared at him accusingly. The thought that that girl knew more than him, or even half as much as he did, bothered him greatly. But why did it bother him? He hadn’t cared what other people thought for a long, long time now. So why now? It then occurred to him that Sephiroth had gotten under his skin, had ripped it open, and left him feeling exposed, which meant he was vulnerable. He didn’t like being vulnerable and the last time he’d felt something like that had been with Sephiroth’s mother.

“How much does she know?” Slowly inquired Vincent after he’d cast his gaze elsewhere. It wasn’t easy to look at the other man and if he continued to do so, he was afraid he’d lose his nerve again. However, it was also difficult not to look at him, so he directed his stare back to the younger man and was slightly surprised by what he saw.

Any hint of a teasing smile that had been previously on Sephiroth’s face was long gone as he stared solemnly at the gunman. He quietly answered, “All she knows is that I love you, Vincent.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~


	4. All I Wanted

Not expecting such an answer, Vincent was taken aback and could only gawk at the other man silently. He recalled Sephiroth saying something like this before, but at the time, he’d been too distracted by the younger man pinning him to a wall and then kissing the life out of him to fully process it. Then he’d been distracted by the car ride, Aerith, and well, Sephiroth. That young man had this uncanny ability to distract him, whether he spoke or not,

The PI had temporarily forgotten some of what had been said up until now, yet as he stared at Sephiroth, he suddenly remembered. Although Sephiroth had stated that he loved him at least two times now, he couldn’t help being skeptical about it. Was this just another diversion to steer him away from the question again? If it wasn’t, how could that be? They’d only been around one another for barely two fucking days! Two days. Even if he meant it, how could someone just profess their love just like that? Vincent himself had taken several _months_ just to gather up enough courage to tell Lucrecia just how he felt and before then, it had taken him a while just to realize what it was he had truly felt for her. So how could Sephiroth know something like that after _only_ two days? Then again, Sephiroth wasn’t completely like Vincent. He was clearly his own person, very intelligent and cunning, and seemed more direct and brave compared to the gunman. Then there was the whole thing about him claiming to know _everything_ about Vincent. How he knew what he knew, Vincent didn’t know; however, from the way the younger man had interacted with him and had pushed him so far, he couldn’t deny that Sephiroth did know him to some extent.

But by all the gods, even fucking Gaia Herself, Vincent couldn’t help taking immense pleasure in hearing those three words. The very three words he’d said before to someone and had meant it, but this…was the first time someone had ever said it to him. Despite himself and his reluctance to continue defiling his own son, he still selfishly wanted to hear those words again and again and again. He craved to hear them every day for as often as the younger man was willing to say them. The gunman could almost easily imagine how the silver-haired man would look whimpering it, or screaming it as Vincent made love to him or fucked him hard. His chest and groin both tightened at the thought, which made him cough and avert his eyes momentarily.

Sephiroth turned his slightly flushed face away from the other man, which made the gunman think that he probably had mistaken Vincent’s silent reaction, and averted eyes as rejection or discomfort. The younger man then quietly admitted, “I’m sorry, I was trying to wait…to wait until you understood everything, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve been waiting _years_ to tell you that. I said it to you once before…but you didn’t take it seriously. I suppose if I were you, I would be skeptical, too.”

 _Years?_ So, he now was claiming that he’d known about Vincent for years, had been pining for him for that long, whereas Vincent hadn’t even known that Sephiroth had existed at all. Though it wasn’t really his fault for not knowing about his existence, Vincent couldn’t help feeling guilty about it nonetheless. He felt like he should have done more, should have pushed himself to find out. The PI had always had a nagging feeling deep in his gut that that woman had been hiding something from him. But because of his own pain, rejection, and hatred, he had withdrawn from the world instead of confronting the one that had wounded him so deeply, so unforgivably. If he had been a real man, instead of running away like a little bitch to brood by himself, he would have gotten his closure _and_ he would have found out about Sephiroth sooner.

“I know it’s not easy to believe me and you’re frustrated because I’m being vague about some things, but I need you to trust me. You will understand it all very soon, that I promise you. I just need you to come with me to _see_ it all,” explained Sephiroth as he stepped closer, his left-hand twitching at his side as if he itched to use it, to touch him perhaps.

How could he say no to that? Even though he wasn’t thrilled at stepping back into that wretched place, he couldn’t allow Sephiroth to go back there alone. What if he didn’t come back out? What if something horrible happened to him? Gods, he had very nearly willingly dragged his own son back to that hellhole for a woman that didn’t seem to love either of them. All for a heartless woman that mirrored her own husband when it came to having a conscience. No, no…he wouldn’t wimp out now or ever again, if he could help it, and he knew he could help it. Swallowing down his hesitation and his cowardice, he nodded quickly before he rasped, “Let’s just get this over with…”

Sephiroth smiled then and it nearly knocked the breath out of Vincent at just how blindingly beautiful it was. It was just so damn beautiful that if he asked the gunman to follow him to hell to be tortured for all of eternity, Vincent would have gladly gone.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~ 

_Forty-five Minutes Later_

Vincent had quickly realized that Sephiroth actually had a solid, precise plan and would check his own phone often ( _apparently, he had his own phone now_ ) and would tell them when to move and when to take cover. According to Sephiroth, the facility did actually have some satellite surveillance, but the signal wasn’t perfect and would suffer regular interruptions, which meant they had to hide or advance whenever the younger man’s phone alerted him. Apparently, he had hacked into their systems so that he could sneak them in virtually undetected unless someone was wandering around aimlessly. It also surprised him just how stealthy and clever Sephiroth was considering he’d been instructed as a poster child for war and well, a gladiator of sorts. He’d been brought up to impress and intimidate people like some sort of champion show dog and to not actually use his brain for more than following orders. It made him wonder how Sephiroth had learned how to hack and be so…sneaky. Obviously, down the line he had learned it from somewhere or from someone. Watching him, the PI couldn’t help thinking that if Sephiroth had had his old job as an agent, he would have easily outdone Vincent in a week, if even that.

After hacking the cameras so it would show the same limited feed on a loop, Sephiroth darted towards the back door and quickly overrode the system so the door would open for them without any problems. Before they headed inside, he quickly and quietly explained, “We have ten minutes, maybe less, before a guard makes his rounds here. That barely gives us enough time to make it, but we can. We just have to be quick and fast. Are you ready?”

Vincent nodded as he unlatched the strap to one of his gun holsters so that he could grab and fire quickly should the need arise. As soon as Sephiroth slipped inside, he followed as quickly and as quietly as he could behind him. If he had known he would be sneaking around like a spy, he would have probably brought one of his silencers with him. What they were doing now reminded him of the old days, when he was a young agent. As nostalgic as it felt, he still didn’t miss those days.

Less than nine minutes later, Sephiroth had successfully led Vincent downstairs to the basement of the facility, which was mostly used for storage whether it was permanent or temporary storage. Once successfully downstairs, the younger man navigated the stark white corridor with such conviction that had he been blind, he probably would have found the right room without help. As some of the fluorescent lights flickered, they passed several doors on both sides, all numbered with a single letter and two or more numbers. Sephiroth eventually stopped at a door marked S-1-2 and stood there stiffly, his eyes boring angrily into the door. His entire body was tense and rigid as if he didn’t want to go inside, as if something inside the room was upsetting to him.

“Brace yourself. You won’t like this,” warned Sephiroth with a heavy sigh. Keying in the correct code, the door slid open to reveal a darkened room that bore two illuminated tanks filled with greenish water. Sephiroth then hesitantly stepped into the room until he stood before the two rounded glad tanks big enough to fit an adult male at least Sephiroth’s size. As Vincent entered the room, he barely made it in before he screeched to a halt at what he saw. In the greenish fluid inside of each tank, there was a naked man that looked remarkably similar to Sephiroth. This spurred him to creep forward to get a better look and when he did, his eyes widened even more at just what he discovered.

The men inside the tanks looked _exactly_ like Sephiroth. Same height, same size, and same physical features. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the many scars that littered their bodies, but what stood out the most was what appeared to be a y-shaped incision, which looked like it had been done during a postmortem examination. Both had their eyes closed and could have been mistaken for merely sleeping if not for one’s anguished expression and the other’s enraged one. It was blatantly clear to Vincent that both of these young men were dead. Who had they been? Had they been… _clones_? Did his son actually have clones and if so, were there more? Was the man at his side a clone? Although it truly didn’t matter if the man that was standing beside him was his son or his son’s clone, he still felt the need to know regardless.

“What…is this? I don’t understand what I’m looking at,” Slowly inquired Vincent as he glanced at the younger man as if to gauge his reaction to it all.

“Those were my brothers…we were _triplets_. Sephiroth 1 and Sephiroth 2. I’m…Sephiroth 3, apparently,” explained Sephiroth, his face like steel despite the emotion he was obviously struggling to keep out of his wavering voice.

Hearing that particular truth made Vincent feel as if he’d suddenly been slammed hard against the wall. Finding out that he had a son, after all of these years, had been a major shock to his system…but _three_? Three triplet sons and two out of the three were already dead and gone. What had happened to them? Better yet, why hadn’t Sephiroth mentioned them before now?

The younger man seemed to sense what Vincent was thinking because he slowly turned towards him and clarified, “You already seemed skeptical about some of the things I’ve said…so I thought it better to show you this first. I know it’s a lot to take in. It was for me, too. I…didn’t find out they existed until I started digging for information.”

That actually made a great deal of sense to him and he couldn’t really argue the logic in that. Would he have believed Sephiroth if he’d claimed he was the only surviving one of three triplet brothers? Brothers encased in liquid tombs in some moldy basement at the very facility that had turned Vincent into a monster. Brothers that Sephiroth had not known about until some time ago. The gunman probably wouldn’t have believed it. Even now, numb with shock, he could barely believe what his eyes were viewing before him. He opened and closed his several times before he could find his voice again. “What…happened to them?”

Sephiroth turned back to face his dead brothers, his jaw clenched as he spoke, ire rising in his normally placid voice, yet it was not directed at the gunman. “Apparently we were kept in separate quarters and were never told we had any brothers. At birth, we were all minutes apart from one another and I was the youngest. Sephiroth 2, the second oldest, was the first to die. He was only nineteen at the time. Then Sephiroth 1 died after him, when he was twenty-one. I don’t know how they died. The files don’t say, unfortunately. I suspect Hojo has some secret files squirreled away somewhere…since he is prone to hiding things. I bet even _she_ doesn’t know where they are.”

“But why the same names? How did they tell you apart?” Slowly questioned Vincent as he did his best to process all of this overwhelming information. He knew that when the shock wore off, when he actually started to feel something beyond the numbness, he would feel a whole world of shit.

“I discovered that I had a microchip inside of me back before I started digging for information. Out on a mission, something went wrong and I was injured and unconscious. As I slept, I healed, but I was taken to a hospital by a local. The doctors there X-rayed me and that’s when I saw _it_. There were a lot of events in my life that made me question everything and that…that was the last straw. I dug the thing out, of course, but I kept it with me on my person unless I was digging for information, or needed to sneak away for something,” explained Sephiroth, his eyes faraway as he recalled the memory. In an instant, he snapped out of the memory and continued, “That’s probably how they told us apart and how they kept tabs on us…so if we ran away somehow, they would still be able to track us down. It’s probably why they contacted you to find me since they couldn’t track me.

Whatever video footage you’ve seen, I am pretty sure that’s not all me. I saw…a lot of those videos, and some of those videos I don’t remember ever being in. Some of those things…I know I didn’t do and some of those places I’ve never set foot in before. I believe they gave us the same name so they could use us however way they saw fit. If one or even two of us became failures in their eyes, they would still have another one to use for their means. It makes sense…in a twisted, fucked up sort of way.”

Sephiroth then stepped closer to the tanks and placed a hand against the cold glass of the first tank. “Growing up, I always had this strange niggling feeling…like something important was missing from me. Now I know what that was. I never got to meet either one of them…and it’s highly unlikely that they knew about me, either.”

As Vincent stood there staring at the floating corpses, his shock having dissipated now, he began to feel the writhing rage and twisting guilt taking root within him before spreading quickly throughout his body. Whatever anger and regret he’d felt before for Sephiroth had quadrupled in the wake of knowing he’d failed not one son, but _three_. While he had wallowed in his own self-pitiable, loathing darkness, his boys had suffered greatly, probably their entire lives, and two of them had already died as a result of it.

He could have done something. He could have helped them, but…he didn’t, he hadn’t. Vincent had failed them all and there was absolutely nothing he could do to rectify that. It was such a debilitating thought that he didn’t realize he had staggered over until he felt strong hands catch him and hold him up against a strong, supple body. Peering up at Sephiroth’s concerned face, crimson eyes brimming with unshed tears, he whispered, “I’m…I’m sorry…”

“Hush now. It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you…even if you blame yourself. You didn’t know…and neither did I. I didn’t help them, either, Vincent. And I never can…” Softly spoke the younger man as he pulled the slightly shorter male closer to him, touching his forehead to Vincent’s. Closing his eyes, he continued, “But what I can do, what _we_ can still do…is put a stop to it all. We can make them all pay, and we will.”

Vincent wanted to open his mouth and tell him that it wasn’t Sephiroth’s fault, but decided it was best for them both if he kept it shut. His son was just as stubborn as he was, if not more so. If Sephiroth believed something, he would continue believing it despite what Vincent thought or said. They probably didn’t have much time here, anyway, which meant it was better not to waste time trying to sway his son’s opinion on the matter.

The idea of stopping all of this madness, of dealing out punishment to all the guilty parties, was such a tempting idea to him. Even though it was obvious to him that Sephiroth had this special gift of swaying him, Vincent still believed that this was what he actually wanted nevertheless. He was tired of being useless and of lingering in the dark waiting for nothing. It was time to do something about all this shit, to finally take a stand.

Although the ex-agent selfishly wanted to remain basking in the other man’s intoxicating, soothing embrace and to continue breathing in his heady scent, and of feeling his hard body’s warmth, Vincent reluctantly untangled himself from the younger man’s arms.

“What exactly is your plan?” Asked Vincent as he did his best to swallow down the unwanted rise of persistent emotion. After feeling dead inside for over two decades, it nearly paralyzed him to feel so much all at once. To know the younger man had sat on this information instead of telling him straight out, pinched his nerves, but really, when he thought about it, he couldn’t help also feeling grateful for it. The more he thought about, the more he saw the wisdom in Sephiroth's reluctance to tell him everything in one sitting. If he could barely handle it now, could barely comprehend it, then how would he have reacted two days ago? He probably wouldn’t have believed him and most likely wouldn’t have been willing to break into the facility to look around, either.

"To confront them and put a stop to this. Several women, well, more like _adolescent_ girls, have already been impregnated by Genesis and one is about to give birth soon. Angeal has one pregnant, too, though she’s in her twenties. If nothing is done, those children will grow up like I did, like my brothers and like their fathers did. Angeal is blinded by his preposterous ‘honor’ and Genesis by the limelight. I am not close to them by any means...but the thought of what will happen to their offspring disturbs me," Sephiroth elucidated as he forced himself to turn his back on the sight of the young dead men that bore too strong a resemblance to him. Looking directly at Vincent, he seemed to sense the unceasing turmoil thrashing within the older man. "I will understand if you cannot face **them** , so if you choose to sit this one out, I understand. But know this, I cannot promise that  _she_ will survive today."

"You're not going alone," stated Vincent. There was no way he would allow his _only_ surviving son to walk back into the lion's den by himself. No matter how strong or cunning Sephiroth obviously was, the gunman didn't trust Hojo since he had learned the hard way never to underestimate the ruthless scientist. If Hojo somehow brought Sephiroth down, whether it was to kill him or merely incapacitate him, Vincent would lose it and probably kill everyone, possibly even Sephiroth, too, within a 100-mile radius. He couldn't bear such a horrible thought. He silently promised himself and Sephiroth that that repulsive, slimy fuck of a worthless man wasn't ever going to touch his son ever again. Nor would Lucrecia.  As angry as he was, he still didn't wish her death...but if Sephiroth wanted her dead, he would not stand in the way. 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Once again, Vincent found himself quietly trailing after Sephiroth, gun gripped in his dominant hand since he knew security would only increase the closer they ventured towards the labs.

And he was right.

Although Sephiroth had once again hijacked the cameras, there wasn’t much they could do except quickly take out the guards before any of them could alert the other security guards. He had quickly explained to Vincent that eventually they would be alerted at some point anyway, so it was better to discreetly take out as many as they could while they still could. Eventually the security watching the cameras would eventually notice that certain guards weren’t appearing on the screen in the designated patrol areas; and not to mention, if they confronted Hojo and Lucrecia in the labs, a silent alarm would probably be triggered anyway.

The first two patrolling guards didn’t even seem to know what hit them when Sephiroth snuck up behind them and snapped their necks like they were fragile little birds. Using his unhuman strength, he seemed to effortlessly drag them to a nearby empty room to stash their lifeless bodies.

Vincent didn’t even flinch as he watched his son easily kill the guards like he had those armed men out on the street the day prior. Like that day, Sephiroth had the same supple grace when he moved and stoic demeanor as he snuck up on them and killed them like he did this every day. Although the gunman couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer strength his son had, it made him wonder just how strong he truly was. Seeing his display of power on the videos was one thing, but actually witnessing it in person was another thing entirely, which summoned both awe and fear in the core of his being. The gunman himself had some unnatural strength as a result of the experiments done on him over twenty years ago, but he could still bet that if it were a battle of strength between them, Sephiroth would most likely win…unless the demons inside of the PI managed to get out. Not that Vincent would ever dare willingly let them out into the world and especially not on his own son. Gods above and below, if those _things_ ever managed to get out and hurt or kill Sephiroth, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Despite the somber situation, the perverted part of his mind couldn't help but wonder just how that strength would feel if they fucked. Vincent probably wouldn't have to hold back at all and he figured he could take anything Sephiroth had to offer and survive it. Thinking about it made him swallow thickly as his pulse raced faster and the fire churned in his belly. Gods, he was so fucked...in more ways than one. If he didn’t get a handle on himself fast, then he would be walking around with a very noticeably bulge in his pants. Despite what had transpired between them in the alley, he still didn’t want Sephiroth to see him like this and think he was some pervert getting off on death.

Later he would reflect back on this and find it humorous that someone like him now suddenly cared again about what another person was _thinking_. 

Cursing quietly under his breath at the direction his thoughts had suddenly gone, he willed himself to think other, less debauched thoughts. He quickly focused his mind on the people that they were about to encounter soon. The familiar fury from before returned, making him narrow his eyes and curl his lip as the spitting anger surged through his veins like liquid fire. He tightened his grip on his gun as his nerves flared, buzzing with barely restrained rage. A part of him really couldn't wait to confront them and to make them pay dearly, to make them both feel something similar to all of the pain they’d callously inflicted on both men. The other part of himself felt anxious and wanted to run in the other direction to avoid the confrontation. But he wouldn't run. No, not anymore.

It was time that he _finally_ faced his demons. 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Minutes, or hours later, Vincent didn’t know, they had finally reached the familiar long corridor leading to the laboratories. Every step became heavier the closer he got to that familiar door, the door that separated him from his wretched past. It had been over twenty years since he had last been here in this brightly lit corridor, but it still looked and smelled exactly the same, like disinfectant. The bright fluorescent lights made him squint, his breaths coming a little quicker as his heart pounded hard within his too tight chest. He suddenly regretted not wearing gloves since his palms were sweating from just how nervous he felt. He holstered his gun before quickly wiping his wet palms on the seat of his pants until he was satisfied that they were dry enough. The texture of the grip would help, but he just hated that sweaty feeling when it came to his hands. Pulling out his gun again, he breathed deeply, yet quietly.

Vincent had believed that he could do this. He really thought he could go through with this, to face the woman that had deceived him and abused his triplet _sons_ for all of these years. His every instinct was telling him to turn away, to go back the way he came lest he reopen old wounds. Old wounds that he wasn’t sure he was ready to face just yet. Despite what some thought, Vincent couldn’t stand pain. Physical pain he could tolerate up to a certain point, but the mental and emotional pain…he just couldn’t deal with very well at all. It was probably why most of his relationships in life, be it friend, family or lover, usually failed horribly.

“No one is forcing you to do this,” slowly came Sephiroth’s calm voice, which sounded suddenly close to his ear. Whipping his head around, he saw the slightly taller man standing right beside him, his concerned green eyes regarding him seemingly without judgement. Those damned, godsdamned beautiful eyes brimmed full of so much understanding that it made Vincent’s heart skip a beat or two. He didn’t deserve to be looked at this way, he knew. The dark-haired man didn’t deserve this young man’s love, let alone his time, especially since he was still _tempted_ to turn and walk away from all of this like the coward he knew he was.

And yet, there was a larger, more sinful part of himself that thwarted his desire to run. It was just as selfish as his cowardly self, but this part, the part that wanted Sephiroth more than anything in the world, consumed him more than any other piece of himself. After all, it was the same chunk of himself that had successfully destroyed any remnants of love he had had for Lucrecia. And it was the same part that made him feel human again. It made him feel love once more, but a love that didn’t feel tainted or cursed even if it was obviously taboo. Despite their blood relation and how forbidden it was in pretty much every part of the world, Vincent couldn’t deny how his son made him feel.

Vincent felt… _happy_.

He felt light headed and giggly. He was nervous, yet calm. Everything hurt, yet everything felt indescribably good at the same time. His heart was a mess, it was all a big mess…yet it was a beautiful mess that that was putting him back together again, piece by fragmented piece. The emptiness was quickly fading to be replaced by every single feeling the younger man made him feel. As consuming as it all felt, it felt right…and pure. It wasn’t just lust, it was…

It was in that moment that the gunman’s eyes widened with sudden clarity: he _loved_ Sephiroth…in every way that he could conceive. So much so that all rationally and tact seemed to fly out the window.

Feeling the sudden clarity lash him like a whip, Vincent couldn’t stop himself from quickly closing the distance between them. Grabbing both sides of Sephiroth’s smooth face, he kissed him deeply with such uninhibited hunger that when they finally broke apart for air, both men panted harshly, their ragged breaths echoing in the corridor while they stared at one another with eyes darkened by lust. Before he could push Sephiroth against the closest wall, the younger man reluctantly stepped away, regret etched into his unforgettable visage. 

“As much as I’d love to continue…I’d rather they didn’t catch us with our pants down,” said Sephiroth, his lips pulled into somewhat of a demure smile.

It took Vincent a few moments to remember just where they were, which made his pale skin appear ruddier than it already was. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his heated nerves, he nodded curtly since Sephiroth’s words made all the sense in the world to him. The last thing he wanted was for that depraved Hojo to record them going at it like animals. For all he knew, Hojo probably already had quite the video stash on all of Vincent’s sons’ intimate moments. The bastard probably watched it all, little dark beady eyes scrutinizing every moment like he was intently watching insects mating. His sons most likely never had had a single private moment to themselves in this place, or anywhere else. These particular thoughts made his teeth grind and his hands clench.

Noticing the odd look on the younger man’s face, the gunman quickly agreed, “You’re right. Let’s do this.” And then he noticed a flicker of something like relief pass over his son’s beautiful face, but before he could dwell on it, Sephiroth had already turned away. His long, strong, and shapely legs led him quickly towards the entrance of the laboratory.

Almost like he was being pulled by a rope, Vincent felt his body immediately surge forward to follow the slightly taller man. Without intending to, his crimson eyes lowered to slowly crawl up those long legs before gluing themselves to that round, yet muscular ass that was regretfully encased in the barrier that was his pants. Realizing he was shamelessly ogling the man _again_ when he should be focused, he snapped his eyes up away from temptation and made haste to catch up to Sephiroth to walk beside him instead of behind him. His half-hard dick twitched in his pants as if annoyed by his behavior, but Vincent ignored his primitive urges for now. Instead of continuing to act like a horny adolescent, he kept his eyes ahead of him and focused himself on repulsive thoughts to help simmer down the seemingly unquenchable lust that seemed to boil in his loins whenever it felt like it.

As soon as both men were barely five feet away from reaching the laboratory doors, said doors automatically slid open in invitation with a quiet _swoosh_ that still echoed throughout the fluorescent-lit corridor.

Sephiroth glanced at Vincent and nodded slowly before he strode through the doorway, every step he took was confident, yet full of carefully contained rage. His aura and the way he moved reminded the gunman of a Nibelheim wolf bent on protecting its territory and pack from rival packs and other unsavory intruders.

 _It was now or never_.

The PI breathed deeply once before he, too, followed after the younger man in spite of the part of himself that felt weighted down by the past and his own insecurities. The part of him that kept him moving forward was the part that loved Sephiroth and would follow him to the ends of the planet and even to death and beyond, if need be.

Once the ex-agent stepped into the large laboratory, the automatic doors quickly slid shut behind him with a resounding _click_ sound. He knew from past experience that the familiar clicking sound meant that the doors had been armed and locked. He wanted to laugh at such a silly precaution because really, did they think they could contain him or Sephiroth? Even if they somehow managed to restrain him, or tranq him, he knew the things inside of him would sense the danger and would react violently and with such power that _everything_ within a certain radius would surely be destroyed. While the drug would effectively knock him unconscious, it would not and could not stop the beasts within from taking over his body.

The various smells of strong disinfectant and embalming fluid made the PI want to retch. With it, it brought along traumatic memories of what he’d endured in this very lab. The only thing keeping him here now and keeping him calm enough to continue on, was his son.

Vincent easily spotted Sephiroth several feet ahead, standing in place and looking ahead at something specific. His crimson eyes followed Sephiroth’s gaze and that’s when he noticed Lucrecia and Hojo, along with several assistants, all of them dressed in scrubs, surgical masks and gloves, were waiting in the middle of the starkly white, fluorescent-lighted room. The assistants had the decency to look nervous, whereas Hojo looked something akin to smug. Lucrecia looked…like she’d just been slapped hard in the face by someone unexpected. Her eyes were red and watery as if she’s been crying recently. A couple days ago, he might have cared, but right now Vincent didn’t give two fucks about whatever pain she had endured recently. Fuck her and fuck her feelings. He had washed his hands of it.

The older man stepped forward until he was standing beside Sephiroth. He had the distinct urge to step in front of the younger man, to shield him from their scrutiny, but he knew better than that. He was no longer a child, yet that didn’t mean Vincent still didn’t feel the paternal instinct within him to protect him from all harm.

“Hello, _mother_ ,” greeted Sephiroth coldly while he completely ignored Hojo, his intense eyes fixed on her like an alpha wolf eyeing a rival male wolf that was about to invade his territory.

Lucrecia flinched a bit at that as if he had struck her, but recovered quickly. Smoothing down her scrubs of imaginary wrinkles, she calmly said, “I told you never to call me that.”

“I apologize, I meant to say old, dried-up whore. Do forgive me,” snarked Sephiroth venomously, his gaze unforgiving as he glared at his birth mother with enough animosity to make Vincent shiver a bit.

Hojo seemed to pay Sephiroth no mind as if he wasn't even present in the lab with them. His beady, bespectacled eyes remained fixed on Vincent as if he were studying a common insect that he had pinned underneath glass. His arms seemed to be locked together behind his back as if there wasn't a single imminent threat in the room. The professor continued to stare at the gunman, which caused bile to rise up in Vincent's throat along with the mounting fury that made him want to stalk forward and beat that callous man until he resembled ground meat. 

"I find it curious that we weren't _alerted_ of your arrival," began Hojo slowly as he slowly unlocked his arms and let them fall down at his sides. Despite what he had just said, he didn’t seem surprised by their arrival in the slightest. He raised one hand to adjust his glasses before he continued, "And that you did not call to confirm that you had detained the specimen. Now why is that?"

"That's because we snuck in, _genius_ ," Sephiroth mockingly spat out, taking care to place special emphasis on the last word as if he meant the opposite of what it actually meant. Then he took a slow step closer like a wildcat thinking about pouncing prey, and warned, "Keep looking at him like _that_ and I will slowly gouge your fucking eyes out with my thumbs, you piece of shit."

Right after Sephiroth spoke, his attention was suddenly diverted by something else. Vincent noticed that Sephiroth was no longer eyeing the scientists or their nervous assistants. He was looking right past them at something lying on one of the various lab tables. Following his gaze again, the gunman spotted a pregnant woman, well, more like _girl_ , lying on her back on one of the tables. She was naked save for the thin white sheet that was draped over her legs. For a moment, he thought she was dead, but upon looking closer, he realized she was breathing slow and steady. Most likely she had been put under since she didn’t appear to be aware of her surroundings.

He knew she was anesthetized not for Hojo’s kindness, but to prevent struggle and further complications to the unborn baby.

It also became abundantly clear to the ex-agent that Hojo, Lucrecia, and their assistants had not been expecting them due to the fact they were all wearing surgical supplies. Spotting the assorted tools, some of them sharp implements, on the table next to the sleeping woman, it became clearer to just what was going on. It was highly likely that they had just interrupted them in the process of performing a C-section to remove the baby from its mother’s body. What Vincent also knew was that Hojo never kept anyone or anything around unless they were proven to be useful in some way, which was why he knew the mother would be disposed of soon enough. The only reason why Lucrecia was still alive was because she was still valuable to Hojo and cooperated with him fully despite everything done to her own children.

Her children… _Vincent’s_ children. This very sobering thought hardened his resolve, erasing all of his doubts about his decision to be here at his son’s side.

“Whatever your plans are for that woman and her child, it ends now. I will not allow you to subject more children to this sick shit. This exploitation ends today,” growled Vincent, his hand shaking the gun slightly from all the barely contained rage. He was finding it increasingly hard not to raise his weapon and shoot them all until his anger had waned. If it would ever truly fade, that was. Remembering the pained and angry faces of his two dead sons, he took a step forward and questioned, “What happened to my sons?” And upon seeing the stricken, wide-eyed look on his ex-lover’s face, Vincent said, “Yeah, I know about them. I _saw_ them. Dead…as dead as you’re about to be if you don’t start answering my fucking questions.”

“S-2 died in agonizing pain from a dose of a new experimental drug that proved lethal. S-1 survived the dose, but…he was euthanized because he was highly unstable, mentally and physically. The clinical drug trial proved that both specimens were indeed failures. However, S-3 was the only one deemed a success, which is why he is still standing here… **alive**. Unfortunately, he has _disobedience_ issues. Makes me question his stability, really…” explained Hojo as if he were talking about breeding domestic dogs.

"And  **you**  allowed  _this_?" Asked Vincent as he turned his accusing glare to Lucrecia, his teeth grinding together behind his thin pale lips. He didn't even care that he was shaking or that his voice cracked as he spoke, "I had  _three_  sons,  **my**  sons, and you did not tell me? Never mind what you did to me, but to _them_? What kind of a mother uses her own babies as lab rats? Was it really worth it, Lucrecia?"

The woman, playing mute, turned her face away and closed her eyes as if the situation was too much for her to bear. She at least had the decency to look guilty, but she didn't seem to have the courage to answer him. 

Vincent then remembered her odd reaction to being called ‘mother’ by her own son. It reminded him of how killers often referred to their victims as objects instead of people to avoid sympathizing with them. If they couldn't see them as human, or even as living things, then they could do whatever they wanted to them without guilt and without remorse. "You don't like him calling you mother. It reminds you of what he really is, of what he  _should_ be to you. It's easier to cut him open, to watch him get beaten bloody when he is nothing to you, right? Was it easy to watch his brothers die, too? Or did you personally stick the needle in yourself? Tell me, was it all worth it?"

Clearing his throat loudly, Hojo quickly stepped in front of his wife, which temporarily diverted the gunman’s attention to him. Whether it was to help his wife or to turn the attention back to his ego, the PI didn’t know. The former seemed uncharacteristic of the man since Vincent had yet to witness Hojo showing kindness or any sort of tenderness towards his wife. But then again, this was their place of work and really, he didn’t know anything about their home life. Not that he cared to know. "They were specimens, nothing more. She did the right thing. Do you really think we make breakthroughs in science by being kind and weak? By holding the patient's hand and praying? No, there must be sacrifices made. There are  _always_  sacrifices when it comes to all things...war, politics, science, you name it," justified Hojo as he scowled openly at Vincent as if he'd like nothing more than to throttle him to death while everyone watched. His distaste for Vincent was pretty clear to anyone with functional eyes or ears. He sneered, “Gast didn’t understand that and because of his sheer stupidity, not to mention his utter incompetence, we _lost_ two vital test subjects. At least Hollander, as pathetic as he is, still understood this field and what had to be done.”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right. There are always sacrifices. You’ve made plenty of sacrifices…for other people, with or without their consent,” agreed Sephiroth, his voice so low and quiet that everyone had to strain their ears just to hear him. “Only this time…the sacrifices will be decided for you. You don’t get to decide anything anymore…except, well, whether or not you scream like a bitch.”

“S-3, don’t make the same mistake S-1 made. You have so much potential…you could continue to lead armies and even conquer the world! Why waste yourself on this…this mutated failure! Everything _he_ has told you is a lie. He only seeks to turn you against everything you deserve…against everything that makes you the success that you undoubtedly are. There is _no one_ like you, Sephiroth. You must know this. Don’t believe his lies. He only wants to sully you, to lead you away from your true destiny of greatness,” said Hojo as he finally turned his attention to Sephiroth. Taking a step forward, he continued to beseech, “Everything you’ve done, we’ve already forgiven. Your handler Cloud…and the others, they weren’t important. You can come back to us and we won’t punish you. Just come back…and this will all be forgotten, like it never happened. Your place is here, with us. Whatever you want, we will give to you because you deserve it. You can have anything you want, Sephiroth. _Anything_.”

Vincent found it interesting how Hojo had suddenly started referring to the green-eyed man by his name mid-sentence. At this point, it was clear to him that the normally smug scientist was becoming quite desperate. As smug and arrogant as they came, it was still a bit shocking to see such an egotistical man resorting to begging. Hojo was obviously a shitty actor, though. If Vincent could see it, he was pretty sure Sephiroth would notice, too. Someone as cunning and brilliant as his son wouldn’t be fooled by that despicable man.

“ _Anything_ , huh?” Echoed Sephiroth thoughtfully as if he were actually considering it. Turning his head to look at Vincent as if to scrutinize him, his hair fell forward, hiding his face from everyone except the gunman. With a half-smirk on his sensual lips, he winked at the older man before his default stoic expression slid back in place. Turning his face back to Hojo and Lucrecia, he said, “Very well. You’re absolutely right. If I can have anything I want…then I will take what I want. I will do whatever it takes…”

Vincent wasn’t exactly certain where Sephiroth was going with this, but figured the wink meant for him to play along, so he did. The haughty look on Hojo’s ugly face made him want to punch in the prick’s face until he resembled a rotting, smashed pumpkin. Frowning slightly, he questioned, “ _What?_ You can’t be serious…”

“Oh, but I am,” disagreed Sephiroth as he fluidly strode over to Hojo as if to comply, to join his side. Stopping right in front of him, he avowed, “And what I want…” right before he swiftly plunged his left hand straight through Hojo’s chest, the power of it effortlessly rending through fabric, flesh and bone until he had burrowed his way to the scientist’s heart. Wrapping his long, elegant, yet strong fingers around the frantically beating heart, he peered down into Hojo’s face and said, “…is Vincent Valentine.”

Vincent’s crimson eyes widened as he watched the scene before him. He paid no mind to Lucrecia’s horrified gasp or the screams of the other assistants that had backed away in stunned horror. Hojo was frozen in shock, his beady black eyes wide and agonized as he sputtered unintelligible words in disbelief. Despite the violence, he felt warmth flood his body at Sephiroth’s admission, which made him feel incredibly dizzy and weak-kneed like a young girl swooning over a first kiss. If the younger man hadn’t been busy killing Hojo, he probably would have closed the distance and kissed the man until they fucked like animals, and probably even after the world was over.

Squeezing the heart gripped in his hand, Sephiroth then drolly remarked, “I’ll be damned. What a shock, you do have a heart, after all,” and then he violently ripped said heart out of Hojo’s chest, causing sprays of blood to hit him in the chest and abdomen. Scrutinizing the organ in his hand for a moment, he next lifted it up to his face and took a bite out of it as if it were a piece of fruit before he dropped the heart onto the ground like it was garbage. Despite his revulsion to the taste, or what Vincent believed was revulsion, ( _because truly, no part of Hojo could ever taste good_ ), Sephiroth swallowed it as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood that had dribbled down his chin. “A heart that tastes like shit…”

The gunman felt slack-jawed as he watched Hojo’s lifeless body drop to the ground like a bag of potatoes. Over the years, Vincent had imagined Hojo dying in so many different, inventive ways, all violently and painfully, of course, but to truly see it happen, and to witness Sephiroth actually taking and swallowing a bite of that abhorrent man’s actual filthy heart, made him stop breathing momentarily.

“What have you done?!” Screamed Lucrecia as she crumbled down to her knees beside her husband’s lifeless body. She pawed at him as tears streamed down her distressed face, as if such a futile action would bring Hojo back to life.

Years ago, Vincent might have felt something watching this scene, but right now, he felt strangely numb to it, yet warm at the same time, making him feel both alive and dead. He didn’t even feel pity for her as he watched the woman he once loved mourn over her freshly murdered husband.

Sephiroth didn’t respond to the grief-stricken Lucrecia; instead, he ignored her as he turned back to face the dark-haired PI. He said nothing, just stood there staring at Vincent as if waiting for him to do or say something.

Hands stained red by blood, Lucrecia stumbled up onto her feet after retrieving something from Hojo’s coat, which she almost dropped. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Vincent quickly noticed the hysterical woman raising a gun at Sephiroth, but before she could pull the trigger, he quickly raised his gun and shot her once in the chest. He watched as her eyes instantly widened in shock and then pain as she barreled backwards towards the ground, falling with a loud thud. The gun clattered to the shiny white, blood-stained floor with a loud clunk that echoed in the cavernous lab. Within seconds, her brown eyes closed and her body slumped. Whether she was dead or merely unconscious, he didn’t know or care. Truthfully, he _should_ finish her off by shooting her in the head, but his hand felt unbelievably heavy now, so he lowered it, the barrel now pointing at the ground as he walked forward and kicked the fallen gun far away from everyone else, just in case Lucrecia woke up again or someone else decided to be stupid. The very thought reminded him of the fact that there was still people watching them with mixed looks of horror, anger, and disgust. Staring at these people in their little white lab coats and scrubs, he remembered what they were and what they had all probably done to his son. And if they hadn’t done anything, that was just as bad, or worse even because…they had watched Sephiroth suffer. They had stood by and done nothing…just like they were doing right now in this critical moment.

These thoughts rekindled his rage enough for him to lift his gun and freely fire upon every single person until they were all dead or critically injured. He didn’t stop pulling the trigger even when the chamber was devoid of bullets until he felt a familiar arm wind around his waist from behind while the other limb slid against his arm until long, elegant fingers draped over the fingers of his right hand. The hand gently pushed his hand down until the gun was once more pointing at the ground.

“You killed for me. You killed _her_ ,” stated Sephiroth in a whisper almost as if he were in awe or disbelief of the fact.

Despite the warm, welcome embrace, Vincent felt annoyed by the words because it meant Sephiroth had lacked faith in him. But then again, could he really blame him? He’d been hesitant earlier and a basket case to boot. But still, he felt annoyed because he wanted this man to know that he did care and that he would do _anything_ for him. Despite himself, he still leaned back, pressing against the younger man’s body, a hand covering Sephiroth’s own, he professed, “Of course I did. I would kill everyone for you, Sephiroth. _Everyone_.”


	5. Human

It took the dark-haired man a moment or two to realize what he had just admitted. Although he hadn’t said those three little words, words Sephiroth had spoken to him a few times already, it was still implied there, subtle, but still there. If Sephiroth was keen enough, which Vincent knew he was, he would figure it out. There was no way he could take it back now and he honestly didn’t want to. He was tired, so tired of running away, of denying everything, that it seemed pointless now to continue doing so. It felt good just to give in, to take what he wanted even if it was wrong. If he was damned, which he probably was, then there was no point denying himself this beautiful man. This angel. Yes, angel, because no matter how many Sephiroth had killed, no matter what Vincent had seen him do, and no matter what he would do in the future, this graceful and powerful man would always be out of this world.

If love was truly blind, then it couldn’t be any more blind than it was right now.

The arm around his waist vanished and so did the hard body pressed against his back, but before he could turn, or even verbally protest, Sephiroth was suddenly in front of him. Strong arms pulled him close as a mouth Vincent now worshipped more than any god, crushed itself hard against his own mouth and worked him open with tongue and teeth and everything that made the gunman eagerly respond. Tasting the copper tang of blood in the younger man’s mouth, the gunman was far from disgusted from it despite knowing where it had come from. Clinging to him, but far from passive, Vincent moaned into his mouth as he pulled him closer so that they were pressed hard together with hands clawing and hips grinding. A gurgling noise made him open his eyes and when he did, he noticed over Sephiroth’s shoulder that Lucrecia had regained consciousness. As she lay in a pool of her own blood and despair, she watched them with disbelieving eyes; however, he found that he didn’t much care at this point.

_Let her watch._

All thoughts of his former lover disappeared when Sephiroth broke the kiss and crowded him against the nearest lab table, mouth biting and sucking at his neck while his hands worked studiously to undo and work Vincent’s pants and underwear down off of his hips. Gasping a bit from finally getting much needed air, the crimson-eyed man didn’t bother interfering with his son’s busy hands. Some part of him knew that they shouldn’t be doing this, especially not in this wretched place, but the majority of him, especially the very erect part of him jutting up between his legs, didn’t give any fucks.

When Sephiroth had managed to get the pants and underwear down to Vincent’s ankles, he then quickly swiped most of everything from the table, clearing it effectively before he pushed the gunman down on his back and spread open the older man’s unresisting, long lean legs. Maneuvering himself between the PI’s legs, he ran his hands up and down the older man’s thighs as if he believed they were the smoothest or silkiest things he’d ever touched. Vincent knew that this wasn’t true, though, since even his legs were marred by the inhumane things that had been done to him by Hojo and Lucrecia.

And yet, those gorgeous green eyes looked at _him_ like he was the most valuable, most priceless thing in the world. It made him want to cry.

It was difficult to comprehend why this beautiful young man would look at him in this way, like he wasn’t damaged goods. Vincent knew he didn’t deserve him, didn’t deserve his touch or his love, but he still craved it nonetheless. He might be undeserving, might even deserve to be tossed into the deepest and darkest pit of hell, but that wouldn’t stop him from wanting and taking everything his beautiful son was willing to give him.

Content just to do nothing but watch Sephiroth for a minute or two, Vincent lay there propped up by his elbows watching him with piqued interest. He watched intently as those elegant hands unzipped Sephiroth's pants before gingerly tugging out a well-endowed, fully erect cock that made Vincent's mouth run dry with the desire to taste it, to suck him dry of every last drop of his seed. As much as he wanted to slide off the table and sink down onto his knees before him to taste him and worship him with both hands and mouth, his patience was severely lacking. As ravenous as he was right now, all he wanted right now was to fuck Sephiroth or to be fucked by Sephiroth. At this point, it didn't really matter to him which way it happened just as long as they were both connected to one another and lost to the miserable world that seemed bent on fucking them both over. He desperately wanted to forget all of his pain, all of these fucked up people, and to continue basking in this pleasure and these feelings that clearly made him, made them both, feel blissfully happy. 

Gods, it'd been so long, so damn long, since he'd last felt anything remotely like happiness, so to feel it _now_ , after twenty long, bitter years, was utterly rapturous. He was addicted to the heady, liberating feeling, but most of all, he was addicted to this beautiful, ethereal man and no longer cared that this was his son  _and_  his lover. No matter what they did or what they became, Sephiroth would always be both to him and he was willing to accept that.

Then there was the fact of the matter that people touching him, even just the mere thought of it, utterly repulsed him, but not when it came to Sephiroth. This young man touching him made him realize just how touch starved he really was despite his aversion to the majority of people. A simple, non-sexual caress from Sephiroth was enough to bring him to his knees and to calm him completely, yet it also made him crave more of the man’s touch. 

Would he ever get enough?  Probably not, but then again, it felt too damn good to actually want something and to want someone like they were the very air he needed to breathe in order to survive. 

Vincent loved Sephiroth. He knew it was love because besides sex, all he could think about was being with him and having a long life with him. It was something he'd always wanted ever since he could remember. To have a committed life with someone he loved more than anything else had always been his deepest desire. He'd wanted that with Lucrecia long ago, but it had been tragically one-sided. It seemed like Sephiroth wanted the same, but he'd been wrong before...

The crimson-eyed man was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by the sudden feeling of his lover taking Vincent's cock in hand and growling, "Stop thinking so much, Vincent. Just  _feel_  this, focus on me and nothing else."

Snapped out of his thoughts, it took the dark-haired man a moment to digest the words spoken to him and when he did, he nodded curtly because Sephiroth was right. He was thinking too much despite how turned on he was. It made sense that he wanted him to remain here with him, to savor their moments together instead of having his head in the clouds. With how tumultuous Vincent’s thoughts could be, they could very well ruin the moment.

Vincent couldn't help raising a slender black eyebrow and smiling faintly when he finally noticed the small tube of lubricant in his son's hand. Apparently Sephiroth had prepared for this, which meant he was either very sure of himself, or perhaps he just slept around and liked keeping some lube handy for whenever an opportunity presented itself. The latter made the gunman want to growl possessively; however, he shook such trivial thoughts away. It truly didn't matter since it was all presumably in the past, but if it wasn't, he wouldn't stand for it. He might not believe that he deserved Sephiroth, but he did believe in fidelity.  

Impatient to get things going already, Vincent snatched the lube from his son and proceeded to coat his own fingers thoroughly before he reached down between his legs to stretch his ass with his slickened fingers. It felt strange to do this to himself since the last time he’d done this, he’d barely been an adult; however, he still remembered what to do. The PI worked as quickly as possible without hurting himself since he was pretty sure that if he hurt himself by rushing too fast, Sephiroth wouldn't be willing to continue. After all, if the roles were reversed, Vincent knew that he would have been turned off by his lover’s pain, too.

One leg hooked over Sephiroth's right arm, Vincent watched in growing anticipation as the younger man guided himself into the gunman's relaxed body using his left hand and the shallow motion of his hips. Having done this before a few times, Vincent remained as relaxed as possible while he forced his body not to instinctively fight the intrusion. Once the younger man was partway in, his left hand dropped from his shaft to help spread the PI's other leg open, which gave him even more access to the gunman's limber body.  

Turning his face away to avoid coming prematurely, since looking at the other man and  _feeling_  him inside had brought him too close, way too close, Vincent's lust darkened eyes landed on the bodies of the dead. Seeing Lucrecia with lifeless, sightless eyes helped bring him down from the brink, causing his erection to sag until it was half limp. It struck him then that everything about this entire situation hadn't quite sunk in just yet. But it would, but preferably not now. Not now when he had Sephiroth's dick in him and the touch of his talented mouth and hands. 

Fuck that bitch. Even dead she was petty enough to attempt to interfere with their lives. Or maybe he was just severely touched in the head, or perhaps it was just his frazzled, malfunctioning brain trying to rationalize everything by slapping a flimsy band aid over a huge, gaping wound. 

Suddenly a strong hand snaked around and squeezed the base of his half-limp cock as lips near his ear growled, "I told you to stop thinking, idiot."

Vincent wanted to laugh, but stopped himself because of the hard truth of those words.  As usual, his perceptive son was right, again.

Sometimes he wondered just who was the wiser man here. As young as Sephiroth was, around twenty years or so younger than the gunman, he was surprisingly wise and mature for a young man his age. Remembering his own self at that age, the PI recalled how brash and foolish he had been. After all, he had fallen for Lucrecia's ploy and had barely learned anything from it. He had a feeling that his highly intelligent and wise son wouldn't have fallen into such a trap. Knowing that made Vincent's aching chest swell with pride at the very notion.  

"New nickname for me?" Quipped Vincent as he turned his smoldering gaze on the gorgeous man bent over him. When their eyes connected and hips suddenly rolled deliciously against his ass, he suddenly forgot his sobering and maddening thoughts. It was clear that his son no longer held any interest in talking and he was more than fine with that. 

It wasn't long before Vincent had bent his arms behind him to grip the edge of the table to brace himself against the other man thrusting into him fast and hard, which was more than enough to break any normal person. It wouldn't have been amusing to the ex-agent if he ended up sliding off the table because of the powerful force of their nearly frantic fucking. His aching legs already felt like jelly, yet the gunman somehow managed to hook one around his son's narrow hip. His other leg was still gripped and spread open by a strong hand while the base of his fully erect cock was held in a vice-like grip. Obviously Sephiroth had realized Vincent's predicament and was taking measures to keep him from coming too soon. Or maybe he had something else in mind. Whatever it was, Vincent hoped that ended with them both reaching release. 

Bending Vincent’s knee to his chest, Sephiroth leaned over to sloppily kiss him in-between grunts, moans, and quick gasps for air. Looking up at the younger man, the gunman would probably have come immediately on the spot if there hadn’t been a hand preventing him from doing just that. His beautiful son’s face was no longer guarded, no longer a stoic mask, which gave him great pleasure to be able to drink it all in. The silver-haired man’s face was twisted in rapturous pleasure as he took his new lover, obviously enjoying the very supple body beneath him that didn’t protest the nearly violent treatment. It was probably the first time he was able to fuck someone hard without having to hold back at all. To know that he, Vincent, was the one making Sephiroth feel this way and causing him to unravel, caused great bursts of feelings to skyrocket within him, both of a sexual and emotional nature.

Because he was more or less pinned down to the table, all Vincent could really do was take the ruthless, yet mind-blowing fucking. Hands bleached white from gripping the edge of the table, he held on for dear life as various noises of pleasure wrenched out from his throat while their flesh, slick from sweat, lube, and other bodily fluids, slapped lewdly together. Although their carnal noises echoed throughout the laboratory, Vincent barely noticed and didn’t give a damn, either. Even if someone was alive and watching right now, he wouldn’t have cared much since he was too engrossed in the pleasure of it all. Armed guards could burst into the lab and the gunman wouldn’t have noticed and even if he had noticed, he probably wouldn’t have stopped. Probably, but then again this was mostly his neglected dick and ass talking, after all.

Desperate to relieve the building pressure in his body, Vincent unclamped his right hand from the table's edge to reach between them. Before his fingers could even brush against the sensitive head of his cock, a hand lashed out quick as a whip, snaring him by the wrist before pinning it down to the table. The hand that had been holding Vincent's bent leg had abandoned it in favor of preventing him from jerking off. 

"No, you come when it's time for you to come," growled Sephiroth, his voice deliciously rough from arousal. Licking a generous stripe from the gunman's neck to his ear, he purred, "And when you do come, I want it to be  _inside_  me."

 _Holy fuck_ …those words produced a tantalizing scene so damn hot in his mind that he would have come if not for the vice-like grip on his poor, neglected dick. As unbelievably good as it felt to have those hips rocking against him, forcing that large cock to slam repeatedly into his tight, convulsing channel, he wanted more and he wanted it now. Vincent wanted to break free and bend Sephiroth over and fuck him until they’d both achieved their much-needed release. If only for a moment, the world would be completely dead to them and they’d be able to forget everything except the blissful feeling of euphoria.

“Then fucking get off of me and bend the fuck over,” the gunman growled back, his voice hoarse from lust and presumably from screaming, not that he particularly remembered doing so in the first place. Then again, when you had someone like Sephiroth nailing your sweet spot repeatedly and quite vigorously, it was kind of difficult to make out who was making what noise.

Before the gunman knew it, Sephiroth had quickly withdrew from him entirely, which made him hiss in slight discomfort since not only had it been unexpected, he was also rubbed raw by the rough fucking. He sat up quickly, ready to protest the fact that the younger man had suddenly  _stopped_ , when he noticed that the green-eyed man had already dropped his own pants, revealing more fully his genitals, buttocks, and his mile-long legs, which made the gunman drool. He smirked a little at Vincent's slack-jawed expression before he gave the older man a sultry look of invitation. Sephiroth then closed in the distance between himself and the table, right beside the PI as he bent over it and flipped his long hair to the side before he placed his chest and palms flat on the black surface of the lab table. Spreading his long legs as much as he possibly could since his pants were bunched around his booted ankles, he slowly turned his face to look expectantly at the older man. There was a hint of impatience there as if he believed the older man was taking too long.  

In all truths, Vincent had spoken more from arousal than actual intent. If Sephiroth had kept fucking him until they'd both come, he would have been more than happy with that. The man could probably do almost anything to him and he would be satisfied with that and with nearly anything the younger man desired. It hadn't been a demand, but then again, Sephiroth had pretty much already stated that he wanted his father to fuck him. If that's what he wanted, then Vincent would gladly do it. 

Although his legs still felt like jelly, he carefully eased himself slowly off from the table to stand up. He was grateful when his legs didn't fail him, but they did wobble a bit as he stood erect. His already achingly sore ass felt sadly empty, but he barely noticed it much due to the throbbing need that was his dick and his desire to mount the other man. He couldn’t help stroking his back as he stared at the tempting view of the younger man bent over for him. His hand paused in stroking his own cock when his red-eyed gaze strayed to a chiseled backside. He’d seen that magnificent ass before back in the motel room, yet this time, it was different now because unlike then, he had accepted his taboo desires _and_ he had the permission to wreck it. The image of the younger man was so tantalizing that he had to squeeze the base of his own cock and tug hard enough on his balls to stop his own release. It would be embarrassing for him if he came even before he had the chance to penetrate him.

"You're taking forever, _old man_ ," taunted Sephiroth, looking over his shoulder with a slight half-smirk that seemed to hold a certain kind of fondness to it.

"It's called anticipation and pacing yourself, brat. Someone your age wouldn't understand, but I will teach you it…in time," promised Vincent, who didn't dare take the bait since he knew he was just trying to rush him. As much as he wanted to immediately pounce on the man, he had already decided to do it on his own terms. He wanted to cherish this first time, after all, and if he rushed it, it would be over all too soon. For all he knew, it could be the first _and_ the last time, but he wouldn't dare dwell on that depressing thought right now.  

Somehow Vincent made his legs move to close in the short distance between him and his new lover. Standing behind him now, he greedily, yet slowly slid his hands down from the back of Sephiroth’s neck, to in-between his shoulder blades, and down his tapered back until his hands finally reached the ample, yet muscular curve of his ass. He smiled faintly once he noticed the younger man glaring impatiently at him from over his shoulder, to which he smacked one white ass cheek in reprimand. What he didn’t expect was the low moan as a result of the stinging slap. Perhaps later, when they were in a private room with an actual bed, he would explore this further since right now he barely had the patience not to just enter him raw. Spotting the tube of lube on the table, he reached for it with every intent to use it before his son’s hoarse voice interrupted him.

“Don’t bother with that. I’m already _prepared_ ,” curtly informed Sephiroth before the gunman could even wrap his fingers around the tube of lubricant.

Hand hanging in mid-air and without blinking, he stared at the younger man in mild disbelief. What did he mean by that? Deciding to find out, he spread the younger man’s cheeks apart to find something dark already lodged in the man’s taut orifice. It was black and when he fingered it, it felt rubbery and slick. It took him a few moments to realize that it was probably a butt plug or some other type of sex toy. Sephiroth had prepared himself for _everything_ , it seemed. When had he done all of this? Back in that motel when Vincent had been unconscious…or had he done so in the bathroom before they had left departed? It once more spoke volumes about his confidence in convincing Vincent to cave into both of their illicit desires. Thinking about the first time they’d met and the days that followed afterwards, Sephiroth had been bent on seducing him from the beginning and well, he’d basically succeeded. The silver-haired man had accomplished something in _days_ what no one else had been able to do Vincent’s entire life. Not even Lucrecia had owned him so completely in such a way that nothing else mattered anymore. Fuck, not even the fact that Sephiroth was of his blood seemed to matter anymore.

Taking an experimental hold of the plug, Vincent gingerly pulled until the toy had slipped out of his body with a gush of lube following in its wake. He stood transfixed as he watched the lube trickle out before reality finally bore down on him heavily, reminding him that he was about to fuck his own flesh and blood. It was one thing to be fucked by Sephiroth, but to actually fuck this man weighed much heavier on his shoulders. The gunman knew that once he did this, it couldn’t be undone no matter how he rationalized it. He still had a chance to stop this, to not go through with it…

 **No** , he was done with being a coward. He’d followed Sephiroth this far and was even willing to follow him straight to hell. He wasn’t about to turn back now that they’d both gotten this far. Vincent was already damned in his own mind, so one more sin wouldn’t damage him more than he already was. Besides, in his own mind, there was nothing more horrible to him now than breaking Sephiroth’s heart.

"Hurry up and just do it already!" Snapped Sephiroth as he glared over his shoulder at the dark-haired male. Despite the glare, there was something more vulnerable and desperate in his expression; it was almost akin to what a man dying of thirst would probably look like. It was difficult for Vincent’s heart not to melt from such a fraught, exposed expression.

"A _power bottom_ , huh," commented Vincent more to himself in mild amusement at just how demanding the younger man was. Not that he could blame him, though. If he were in a similar position, he probably would be barking orders, wriggling his ass, or begging for it without shame. Staring at the vulnerable looking Sephiroth, he suddenly understood the other man's mounting impatience. If everything he'd said up until now was true, then for  _years_  Sephiroth had been pining for this very moment to happen. Vincent himself had only felt something similar for a mere day or two, and even that had felt unbearably long. But  _years_? It made him recall exactly how long and how he had felt while he'd pined for Lucrecia before she had finally thrown him a bone, only to jerk it away later. 

Before the silver-haired man could open his mouth again, Vincent smacked his other pale ass cheek, leaving a red hand print, which caused Sephiroth to hiss and shudder slightly from the smarting hit. Using the temporary stinging pain as a distraction, the gunman spread him open more fully before he positioned his cock and began breaching him. Because Sephiroth's ass had already been thoroughly lubed and stretched, burrowing in was far easier for him, yet he still took his time rolling his hips slowly, sliding in inch by inch until he was fully sheathed in Sephiroth's slick, tight heat. Anchoring his hands to the younger man's hips, he bent over him and pinned him more to the table just in case he tried forcing him to move when he wasn't ready just yet. Not only did he want to treasure this moment fully, he also wanted to prevent coming prematurely. He already felt close to the edge as it were and because of this, he stayed rooted where he was. Unlatching one hand from the other man's hip, he reached up to grab a fistful of his own hair and yanked hard, but not hard enough to pull any hair out. The sharp, stinging pain distracted him enough to help ease his desire down enough so that he wouldn't come after one or two thrusts. The gunman didn't like any sort of pain even though after his training as an agent and time spent in this lab as an experiment had given him a high level of pain tolerance. Despite this, he still liked giving others a bit of pain if that was what they were into. 

Staring at Sephiroth's long, gunmetal colored hair, he felt the sudden, nearly overwhelming compulsion to wrap his fingers in those impossibly long strands and yank it hard, but refrained from doing so momentarily. Not everyone appreciated something like that, especially as hard as he liked to twist and yank hair; Lucrecia certainly hadn't liked it, but then again, the woman had been disappointingly vanilla when it came to sex. Sephiroth, on the other hand, seemed to be her exact opposite in nearly everything, which was a huge relief for him. He then remembered that incredible blowjob in the alley and how beautifully Sephiroth had responded to getting his hair yanked by him during it. As tempting as the thought was to do it again, Vincent couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't end up ripping some of that gorgeous hair out this time.

Despite his earlier demands, Sephiroth didn't try to buck back though he did squirm a bit as if he could barely contain his own urges. Nor did he demand anything more at the moment as if also enjoyed being filled while the PI enjoyed being inside him. It was also as if he personally understood Vincent's dilemma and like the gunman, he wanted this to last for as long as humanely possible. 

Unable to stall himself any longer, Vincent breathed in deeply right as he slid nearly all of the way out before he pushed back in again. A hand clamped itself to one of the younger man's hips while he marveled at how easily and greedily Sephiroth's orifice seemed to suck him right in. It took a few experimental thrusts for him to find the right pace and angle, but once he was comfortable, he increased his speed and strength with every thrust into the other man's willing, pliant body until every single one of his muscles seemed to burn in protest. Within seconds or minutes, he really didn't know, Sephiroth was reduced to a writhing, bucking, and moaning mass of flesh eager for more.  

Despite the very distracting pleasure that possessed him, Vincent still noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to fuck his son’s brains out. Turning his head as he continued to mercilessly snap his hips, he noticed a large smear of blood leading to the other side of the lab. The blood smear led to a control panel where a barely conscious body had managed to reach it and somehow stand up although the person did lean heavily against the wall. It was one of the lab assistants he’d shot, apparently. He watched as the woman raised a weak hand and somehow managed to exert enough force to press a button. After pressing it, a shrill alarm went off, to which he gritted his teeth at the unpleasantness of the sound. Looking back down at the curved, powerful back of his new lover, he barely heard the thud of the woman falling dead to the ground.

“Guess your aim isn’t that great, after all,” remarked Sephiroth saucily as he peered over his shoulder at the PI, eyes darkened by pleasure as several long strands of gunmetal hair stuck to his sweat-slicked face and neck. He looked like a mess, a really hot, fucking mess. He couldn’t help thinking that the world was nuts if they thought fucking Sephiroth was wrong.

If the crimson-eyed man hadn't been currently balls deep in Sephiroth, enjoying the warmth and how he was being squeezed, he probably would have laughed at that or otherwise countered back with something sarcastic. But because he was otherwise preoccupied with fucking the younger man into oblivion ( _and knowing that armed guards would be arriving soon_ ) he knew he didn't have any time, stamina, or focus left to waste on trivial matters.

Grabbing a fistful of Sephiroth’s hair, he twisted his hand in the impossibly long locks before using it to jerk the younger man back so that his back arched even more. Hips grinding relentlessly against the other man’s ass, Vincent angled his thrusts to hit Sephiroth’s prostate with nearly every stroke, each one causing his son to cry out wantonly. Since the silver-haired man was stuck bracing himself against the table while he rocked back, taking the cock beautifully like this is what he had been created for, he couldn’t exactly get himself off. Taking pity on the man, Vincent dropped his hand from the younger man’s hip to reach around him to jerk him off in time with each frenzied thrust.

In a matter of minutes, someone or something began pounding on the laboratory door as if eager to get inside. Despite the urgency in the pounding, Vincent didn’t stop fucking the younger man, though he did release his death grip on the beautiful man’s hair. He barely heard the pounding of the door while he thrusted hard and fast as sweat poured down the sides of his face and down his back, making his shirt cling to him, yet he didn’t really notice the discomfort. All he could hear right now was his own heartbeat hammering like drums in his ears along with their harsh breathing and guttural moans and grunts as their wet flesh slapped lewdly together in a primal dance as old as time. With each violent strike to the door, Vincent pounded into his lover all that much faster, every muscle burning from the strain as his body rutted desperately to obtain its much sought out release. With how fucking good Sephiroth felt around him, squeezing him hard as if trying to milk him of every drop, he knew it wouldn’t be long now. How he’d lasted this long, he couldn’t really fathom.

As if reading his mind, Sephiroth suddenly came, shouting his euphoria without shame as his ass clamped down in a vice-like grip around the cock still enthusiastically jamming into the convulsing orifice like there was no tomorrow.  

“Fuck…Sephir— _ahhh_!” Was all the gunman managed to roughly call out before his orgasm ripped through him like a tsunami. It was so intense and so damn good that he actually blacked out for a few minutes, or seconds, he didn’t rightly know. Vincent just knew that when he came to, Sephiroth was holding him upright while he lovingly stroked the gunman’s sweaty face. When their eyes locked together, Sephiroth briefly smiled at him. Even if the PI hadn’t been floating on cloud 9 right now, that fond, beautiful smile would have still made him melt like butter.

Unfortunately, the moment couldn’t last due to the sudden loud pounding of the guards trying to break down the reinforced lab door. Sephiroth glared in annoyance over his shoulder as he spat out, “Idiots…there’s no way _they_ can break down that door with brute force. No wonder they’re just guards.”

Despite their post coital moment, Vincent quickly sobered up. No matter what his aroused mind had thought earlier, there was no way he’d ever allow Sephiroth to die due to sex or even a tender, intimate moment between lovers. Having sex with him in this lab had probably been a stupid mistake, but how could he say or even think that? How could he dare to think this had been wrong? Looking at him now, despite the serious situation, Sephiroth appeared happy and liberated.

As a father _and_ a lover, he couldn’t help thinking that Sephiroth being happy was all that truly mattered to Vincent. Everything that had transpired up until now had been well worth it. It had all been worth it in the end.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vincent barely had his pants pulled up to his thighs when Sephiroth was already fully dressed and ready to bounce. Despite the less than pleasant feeling of semen and sweat clinging to his nether regions, he yanked his own pants all the way up before hastily closing them. He was suddenly reminded of many years ago when he had been an adolescent fooling around and then hurriedly dressing in a panic when he'd heard the front door being unlocked. It had been with another boy, so the other boy's parents thought nothing of it when they noticed the flushed faces and messy hair. They'd probably assumed the 18-year-old boys had been rough housing since it was the nature of boys, even at that age. Of course, had they known what their son and his friend were really up to, Vincent would probably have no longer been welcome in that house. While homosexuality was more or less something most didn't bat an eye at in that town, some traditional families frowned heavily upon it since they expected their sons and daughters to bear them children to continue the bloodline. Luckily for Vincent, his father had been less traditional and more wrapped up in his own time-consuming work to really care what his own son did with his life.

Of course, the gunman’s dalliances with other men hadn't stopped Vincent from eventually producing offspring, even if it hadn't been intended or known on his part. That other boy, the one he’d had his first time with, probably had a family and grandchildren by now and had probably taken over his father's business like most kids from Vincent's home town tended to do. It was why the ex-agent had left in the first place since he didn’t want to be stuck in that small town married to someone he could barely stand. The gunman had initially wanted a family, _eventually_ , but on his own terms, and with the right person…when he was ready for it, of course. Being pansexual, he hadn't known whether his mate would be male or female. It honestly didn't matter to him and never had. Even if he had ended up married to another man, they could have still adopted kids or even hire a surrogate.

If he wasn't wrong this time, since last time he’d thought Lucrecia was _The One_ , then this time, it seemed to be that his mate was a man and his own son. It was so fucked up, but whatever fucks he had left about it, had been fucked away minutes ago. 

Why he was remembering such old, faded memories, he wasn't exactly sure, but it was probably because someone had been pounding on the door and they'd hastily dressed. He couldn't even remember how the other boy had looked or even what his name had been. It didn't matter. What mattered now was getting both of them out of this damned place alive and unscathed.

"They're trying to unlock the door," pointed out Sephiroth in mild amusement as he smirked a bit while he stared intently at the now silent door. He then scoffed, " _Imbeciles_. That door was made to withstand an  _army_  and most hackers. They will have to do better than that."

"Was it made to withstand  _you_?" Inquired Vincent, half serious and half in jest. Despite the very real situation, his mind and body still felt high. It was probably due to his own happiness and the sex they'd just had. The gunman couldn't remember ever feeling this way before and it scared him because he was now afraid to lose it all. 

Sephiroth turned his intense gaze to Vincent and said, "I saw footage of Sephiroth 1 breaking that very door down, so no, it wasn't made to withstand  _me_. Of course...they could have made it stronger since then. Care to find out?"

The PI gestured towards the door and replied, "By all means..." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vincent was stunned when Sephiroth purposely strode forward and with one powerful kick from a shapely, muscular leg, the door groaned as it tore through the air and collided with several armored bodies until it screeched against the floor unpleasantly. Looking out the now open doorway into the corridor, the gunman’s eyes trailed over the blood splatters and the broken bodies. The remaining men stood there in shock, guns pointing down since they hadn’t expected such a thing to occur. Before they could raise their weapons, Vincent quickly dispatched each one with quick and precise shots to the head.

“Something tells me you could have opened the door _without_ using force,” deadpanned Vincent. He hoped the shock and awe he felt didn’t show on his face because he knew one of the last things the younger man needed was an ego boost. Despite the fact that they’d just fucked, he could already feel his limp member stirring again from arousal.

“I could have, yes, but…” Trailed off Sephiroth as he looked over his shoulder, his vibrant eyes sweeping over the broken bodies of the guards. “ _This_ was much more effective.”

Vincent didn’t comment on that, yet he couldn’t help silently agreeing with that statement. He was about to open his mouth to ask what was next when he heard a slight noise behind him. Turning quickly, he saw the pregnant adolescent beginning to stir. During the confrontation and the tryst, he’d forgotten about that unknown girl.

“What about _her_?” Inquired the gunman, his crimson eyes stopping to linger on the big, round curve of the woman’s exposed belly. He felt slightly guilty for giving into his urges in the same room as a pregnant girl, but then again, he was a weak man when it came to Sephiroth. Even if Hojo, Lucrecia, and the pregnant woman had been watching them, Vincent probably wouldn’t have been able to resist him.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder to follow Vincent’s gaze. “We take her with us. We can track down the rest of the women later. Hojo and Lucrecia may be dead, but that doesn’t mean Shinra won’t get some other fool to take their place. There’s plenty of them, after all.”

“What are we going to do with them?” Asked the gunman, his gaze switching back to the enigmatic man.

“Aerith and Gast will care for them, of course. The important thing right now is to get them all to safety first. _Then_ we can worry about Angeal, Genesis, and Shinra,” replied the silver-haired man as he began to smoothly stride over to the slowly awakening woman.

“Will they be able to handle…?” Began the PI, not certain on how to word his question as he watched his young lover approach the pregnant girl.

As if knowing the older man’s thoughts, Sephiroth answered, “Gast used to work here, too. He knows how to handle these _special_ infants. These children may never be normal, but at least they won’t ever be like me or my brothers…”

Vincent nodded as he moved to follow the younger man. Although he knew what Sephiroth meant, he still couldn’t help thinking that there was nothing wrong with the younger male. In the PI’s eyes, he was perfect and wouldn’t change a thing, except…well, maybe the pain and humiliation he’d gone through growing up here under the hands and tools of scientists and handlers. Of course, he was bias because not only did he love Sephiroth, this man was also his flesh and blood. After all, there had been a time when he’d seen no wrong in Lucrecia, either, even when it was staring him dead in the face.

The young woman appeared disorientated at first, her dark brown eyes blinking blearily due to the intense laboratory lights. As if suddenly remembering where she was, she sat up quickly and hissed as if regretting the quick motion. When she recovered, the disorientated girl glanced around until she spotted the two men standing near her and the several corpses littering the stark white, blood splattered floor. Afraid and confused, she demanded, "What's going on? Why am I here...and...wh-what happened?"

"Calm down, Tifa. You and your baby are safe now, I assure you," calmly said Sephiroth patiently as if they had all the time in the world to chit chat. 

Studying Sephiroth, Vincent couldn't help thinking that his son, no, his lover, would have made a very exceptional, kind doctor. The younger man could have been a thousand or more other things in life, had he been given the chance, and that made the gunman feel even more resentment towards the now deceased Hojo and Lucrecia. He couldn't help wondering what Sephiroth would do, after all of this shit was resolved. 

Suspicious of the young man, the woman, presumably called Tifa, asked, "How do you know my name?" Yet in the next moment, as she stared at the green-eyed man, she then seemed to realize something important, which prompted her to blurt out, "Wait...are you **The** _Sephiroth_?" 

"They were prepping you for surgery to remove your unborn baby, Tifa. You would have been  _discarded_  afterwards, but we stopped them in time. I know your name and the names of all the impregnated women because of the files I hacked," explained the silver-haired man, unfazed by her reaction, as he smoothly walked towards a chair with a lab coat draped over it. Picking it up, he strode back towards her and handed the coat over. "Get dressed. We are safe for the moment, but we need to leave  _now_."

After handing the coat to Tifa, Sephiroth looked to Vincent and their eyes instantly locked, causing heat to sizzle between them. Swallowing thickly, the gunman had to fight to keep reminding himself that they were in the presence of a young girl that was most likely already traumatized. They really didn’t need to fuck her up even more than she already was.

Oblivious to the heated look both men were sharing, Tifa gingerly slid off the lab table after slipping on the coat and tying it closed. Rubbing her slender arms with her hands, she watched them curiously as she did her best not to look at any of the dead people littering the lab. “Why are you helping me?”

Sephiroth simply said, “Same reason why I helped Aerith escape.”

Tifa sighed, “And what’s the reason?”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” bluntly said Vincent, obviously speaking for Sephiroth since he was beginning to grow anxious the longer they lingered here. Despite the many people that the younger man had killed, it was obvious to the gunman that behind those scars and deep down inside, Sephiroth had a good heart.

Confused by Vincent's statement, the adolescent girl's brows wrinkled. Although she was young, she obviously wasn't stupid since she didn't seem willing to suddenly trust a couple of strangers even though she clearly recognized Sephiroth. Vincent couldn't blame her, but he wasn't about to allow them to loiter any longer. They'd already tarried here enough just by fucking like animals in heat. Even though he didn't regret it, he still knew they shouldn't have done it in  _this_  place, but there was no changing that now. His first priority now was making sure Sephiroth got out safe and sound. As powerful as his younger lover was, he knew that the man wasn't invincible and like his triplet brothers, he could very well die, too.

"We need to go now," growled the ex-agent, an edge of frustration rising in his gravelly voice. With that said, the gunman strode over and as gently as he possibly could, he picked up the pregnant girl bridal style despite her loud verbal and physical protests. Barely noticing her frail hits to his person, he ignored her slapping and hitting him as he turned and started heading towards the door. 

Sephiroth followed him immediately and from the corner of his eye, he saw the beautiful man smirking a bit, almost smug for some reason. If the situation hadn’t been that serious, he would have been sorely tempted to wipe that smirk off of his face by forcing Sephiroth down to his knees and forcing his cock into his talented mouth. The thought made him shudder, but he shoved it away despite the twitching dick in his pants. Gods, he was so fucked up since it seemed no matter what, his thoughts always seemed to turn back to possessing Sephiroth sexually. And yet, even if his thoughts weren’t sexual, they still revolved around that man on a level that was probably not healthy at all. As obsessed as he was with the younger man, he still couldn’t help wondering which one of them was more infatuated with the other.

The gunman carefully, yet swiftly navigated around and over the fallen bodies of the guards and blood puddles and splatters as they walked down the long corridor. Before they could reach the other door, he noticed the silver-haired man abruptly stop walking. Turning his gaze to look at Sephiroth, he noticed how stiff and alert he looked, like a beast suddenly sensing another rival on his territory. His green eyes were narrowed and mouth a thin set line, his face a perfect stoic mask as he stood rooted to the spot.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Vincent, both alarmed and perplexed by the other man’s reaction. The girl in his arms stopped struggling long enough to peer curiously over his shoulder at Sephiroth.

Before Sephiroth could answer, if he had even intended to answer in the first place, the door suddenly swung open to admit a tall man with auburn hair. The man strode in, his confident gait very much exaggerated and a bit too much on the ostentatious side. His long, red trench coat swung around him as he walked, which briefly revealed sheathed knives strapped to the sides of his thighs. The man stopped walking as soon as he noticed the other two men and the girl. Cruel, pale blue eyes narrowed as they took in the scene before him. The pale eyes roved over each man before settling on the teenaged girl in the gunman’s arms. Even though he spoke, his eyes stayed rooted to her, or more specifically, on her large, round belly. “ _Sephiroth_ …I should have known you would have interfered. I’m surprised they didn’t deploy me to hunt you down. Better yet…what in the Goddess’ good name are _you_ doing with **my** child?”

Tifa bristled in Vincent’s arms, her dark eyes thin slits as she glared at the redheaded man. “Your child? It’s _my_ child and no one is taking him from me! I had no choice when you _took_ me, but this, this child, whether he’s born or not, and how he grows up, is my choice. Not yours.”

The auburn-haired man scoffed, “You should feel privileged to bear a child of my noble lineage, girl. There were many I could have chosen, yet I chose you. You should be grateful.”

“ _Enough_ ,” ordered Sephiroth coolly, his voice sharp like a whip as he stepped in front of Vincent and Tifa, becoming a barrier between the redhead and the girl. “All of those girls, yes, _girls_ …” Trailed off the green-eyed man, his voice dripping with disgust, which heavily implied his personal thoughts on how sick an adult man messing around with kids truly was. Gesturing behind him at Tifa, he then continued, “Those girls will be coming with us. These children will not share the same fate as my brothers nor will they share mine. Unless you physically stop me right now, I am walking out of this facility with that girl.”

Gingerly placing Tifa down somewhere reasonably clean so that she was standing on her own bare feet, Vincent quickly moved to stand beside Sephiroth. Looking at the red-headed man he guessed was the one called Genesis, he didn’t much care for the unpleasant feelings that that man inspired within him. He didn’t much care for the way he was looking at his Sephiroth, either. It was like witnessing a rabid dog growling at his child while preparing to lunge at said child. Sephiroth was no longer a child, he knew, yet that still didn’t prevent the instinctive urge to protect what was his even if the younger man was fully capable of protecting himself. It didn’t matter how old Sephiroth became or how strong, Vincent would always feel compelled to protect him at all costs.

The silver-haired man then leaned forward a bit, shadows falling in his smooth, pale face as he smirked deviously. Voice low and acerbic, he mocked, “By all means, _Second Best_ , try and stop me, I dare you.”

Genesis’ visage twisted suddenly into an ugly, enraged expression the moment he heard what Vincent assumed was an old, abhorred nickname used to bait him. So far, the gunman had gathered that Genesis was an arrogant, spoiled man used to getting whatever he wanted. By the look of things, he probably also envied Sephiroth for his strength, charisma, brains, and power. He’d have to remember to question Sephiroth more about Genesis later on when they were safe.

In a matter of seconds, barely enough time for Vincent to fully react, Genesis lunged forward like a beast bent on killing his prey. Before the gunman could raise his weapon, Sephiroth had already jumped into action. Spiraling through the air in a graceful arc, he intercepted the redhead before he could successfully strike Vincent. Blinking stupidly, the PI stepped back when he realized that Genesis had meant to attack _him_ , which meant he either knew Vincent meant something significant to Sephiroth or, he was just a fucking coward. Or perhaps it was both.

“That was low, even for you,” angrily hissed the seething silver-haired man after he’d sent Genesis crashing through the open door. Like a whirlwind of rage, he darted down the corridor and through the open doorway. Although the gunman couldn’t see what was happening in the other room, he could distinctly hear the crashing and pounding sounds of a particularly violent brawl that sounded more like titans clashing than men.

“Stay here,” roughly ordered Vincent, his voice betraying just how worried he was. Not even sparing Tifa a glance, he raced down the corridor after the other two men. Once he was through the door, he spotted the black and red blur of the two men fighting. All he could do was stand there mesmerized as he watched both young men moving and hitting so quickly his eyes barely could keep up with them. The things inside of him were beginning to murmur excitedly within him, which meant they were either excited by the smell of blood, sounds of the fight, or were feeding off of his tumultuous emotions. Either way, he had to muster his control and force them back before he completely lost control of his body. The gunman desperately hoped that Sephiroth had the upper hand in the battle because right now, he could barely stand on his own feet. Just standing there on his own two feet, trying to calm down the beasts, was all he could really do. Once again, he was useless and that pissed him off. Why was he so fucking useless? Why did he always fail when someone needed him?

After Sephiroth sent Genesis crashing through one of the walls, he landed smoothly on his feet like a cat, crouched on the ground and ready to spring back into another attack. Wide, crimson eyes locked on him and despite the monsters fighting inside of him for dominance, Vincent suddenly recalled how this man seemed to have so much faith in him. At one point, he’d even told the gunman that he believed in him, or at least, he thought had had said as much. With how crazy things had been the last few days, it was becoming difficult to keep everything straight in his head. As for why Sephiroth believed in him, he just didn’t know why. Perhaps Sephiroth saw something in him that Vincent just couldn’t, or wouldn’t see for himself.

For over two decades, he hadn’t known of the existence of his triplet sons. Because he hadn’t known, he hadn’t been there to protect them or even just to be there as their father. It was pretty much too late to be Sephiroth’s father now, but now that he knew Sephiroth existed, he could, _no_ , he **would** be there for him in whatever way that he needed him. He’d failed many tasks, he’d failed himself, and he’d failed other people countless times before, but that would all end now. His weakness would end and he would be the man Sephiroth needed him to be despite whatever existed within or around him. This was his body, his life, and he wasn’t about to let those monsters out so that they could destroy everything in their path.

No, he was in control and he would _stay_ in control. Fuck those useless monstrosities. He would kill them or kill himself before he ever allowed those damnations to hurt the man he loved.

Primed with renewed determination and focus, Vincent felt calm settle over him as the beasts inside him finally quieted down and went dormant again once they realized he wasn’t going to give them an inch. The realization that he had actually fought and regained all of his control back, hit him suddenly like a freight train. Feeling breathless and almost numb, he turned his attention back to the silver-haired man. Sephiroth…it was Sephiroth. The young man had effectively calmed him down last time, and this time, just thinking about him had worked wonders. This man, so much like him, yet so different at the same time, gave Vincent the strength, courage, and will he never knew he had. If he wasn’t concerned for the younger man’s safety, he probably would have fallen to his knees and wept from such a staggering, beautiful truth.

Training his burning gaze back on the fighting men, he made certain to keep a close eye on them both, just in case Sephiroth slipped or Genesis pulled something dirty on him. Despite the obviously superhuman strength of the red-haired man, Vincent could tell his lover was the superior opponent. Knowing that helped, but at the same time, the gunman knew that even the mighty could fall from cheap, low-down tricks. After all, even back then as a normal human, Vincent had been stronger than both Hojo and Lucrecia and he had still become their unwilling victim in the end. Had his wits been sharper about him and his eyes not dulled by his own love for a cruel woman, he would have seen it coming.

It wasn’t too long until the gleaming glint of sharp steel suddenly appeared, drawn first by Genesis. Vincent eyed the thirteen-inch serrated knife Sephiroth gripped in his left hand like a knife fighter. He couldn’t remember seeing that knife on the younger man before, but then again, it seemed like he was usually embarrassingly too distracted by Sephiroth’s allure or his provocative words to notice every little thing. The beautiful blade gleamed from the light as he gripped it in his left hand, the knife pointing behind him with the sharp edge facing away from him. Knees bent into a sort of crouch, he looked ready to strike at any second.

Wielding dual fighting blades, both 6 inches in length, Genesis didn’t wait a second longer before he quickly took the offense. Quick and agile, he leaped in the air, his red trench billowing around him before he struck down with both blades in unison. Although he was obviously skilled in wielding dual blades, it was also clear to Vincent that the redhead was much too impatient and arrogant to the point he seemed utterly desperate to defeat his rival. Sephiroth, on the other hand, took defense as he adeptly parried each strike with his long, slenderer blade. Incredibly fast, skilled, and nimble, he danced around Genesis as if he were merely teasing him. Despite the rage boiling in his bright green eyes, the rest of his androgynous face appeared calm and he was even _smiling_. It reminded Vincent distinctly of the calm before the raging storm.

It took the gunman a few moments to realize why Sephiroth wasn’t trying to land a blow. It wasn’t that he couldn’t successfully strike Genesis. No, it was very evident to him that his lover was a strategic fighter and didn’t use brute force to win battles. He had accessed this early on when watching the recordings of Sephiroth fighting and killing various opponents and enemies in the arena and out in the field. The dark-haired man was pretty certain that right now Sephiroth was working on tiring out Genesis until the redhead became sloppy and slow. By the speed and force of his aggressive hits, it wouldn’t be long before that happened.

“It’s a shame I can’t kill you,” said Genesis as he ground his two blades against Sephiroth’s one blade, causing sparks to fly between them in the process. His nearly colorless eyes momentarily shifted towards Vincent before he boasted, “But I can kill _him_ , and oh, I intend to…”

The raven-haired man bristled inwardly at that, but not because his life had been threatened. It had more to do with what seemed like the implication that Genesis would enjoy seeing Sephiroth in pain. How much Genesis knew about them, he wasn’t certain, but it was clear to him now that the redhead knew that Vincent meant something to Sephiroth otherwise he wouldn’t keep attacking him or using him to goad the silver-haired man.  

“His life is mine, not yours; however, the shame…is all yours,” began Sephiroth, who then added in a low voice, “ _Just like this_!” before his right arm delivered a sharp right hook to the red-head’s pale white face, which surprised Genesis enough to cause him to stumble backwards gracelessly. Quickly regaining his footing, the red-haired man had somehow managed not to fall on his ass. He next delicately touched his nose and was outraged to find that it was broken and bleeding. Artic eyes then speared right through Sephiroth, brimming full of rage and contempt as he lunged at the taller man again.

Hearing Sephiroth stake his claim on him in front of another, caused Vincent’s body to flush with warmth despite the serious situation at hand. It was one thing to say something like _that_ in front of a friend, but in front of an enemy, it was…well, it made him feel more assured that this thing between them was more solid, possibly something committed and not just some fun fling.

“How dare you defile my face!” Screamed Genesis as if Sephiroth had murdered his entire family. The gunman couldn’t help thinking that this immature brat was more of a man child than an actual man. Back then, Vincent had known several children, not even in their preteens yet, that had never acted this bratty. With every passing minute, he realized more and more that Genesis and Sephiroth were polar opposites in nearly every way. Perhaps that’s why the redhead envied Sephiroth because he wanted to be him, but couldn’t be.

Smoothly deflecting each blow one-handed, metal clashing repeatedly, Sephiroth appeared unfazed as he coolly regarded the red-head. He scoffed, “Your _face_? Is that a joke? You speak of defilement when that’s exactly what you did to those girls. You’re a pretentious piece of shit, is what you are.” And before the other man could open his mouth to spit anything out, the silver-haired man backhanded him hard across the face, which caused Genesis’ smashed nose to crunch even more as his face jerked away from the force of the violent blow. Face devoid of pity, Sephiroth watched the red-haired man hiss in pain as he flipped back away from the taller man. “Unlike those girls, your pitiful face will heal, unfortunately. Do the world an immense favor by getting over yourself already.”

Wiping the blood from his face, the panting red-haired man openly seethed like an angry bull. All rational thought seemed to disappear completely as he charged Sephiroth again, blood streaming down from his nose. Because he was overwhelmed by his fury and exhaustion, his moves were sloppy and slow. In a matter of scant seconds, both of his blades were knocked out of his hands before he felt a long blade pressed against his neck hard enough to cut the skin. Genesis immediately froze on the spot as a trickle of blood dribbled down his neck to disappear into his cravat. Pale blue eyes wide in shock, he breathed, “You wouldn’t…”

Unfazed by Genesis’ reaction, Sephiroth sliced the blade deeper to prove just how serious he was. “I would, and I will…”

“You kill him and I kill _your_ man,” calmly announced a deep, unfamiliar voice. At the voice, Vincent turned his head and noticed a tall, dark-haired man standing five feet or so away with his gun aimed directly at the PI. He recognized that face, yet it still took him a few moments to place a name to that face. _Angeal Hewley_. How he’d managed to sneak up on them, the gunman didn’t know, but then again, they had all been rather... _distracted_.

Vincent didn't even bother to raise his dominant hand to point his own gun at Angeal. Because the things inside him were stirring again, writhing around like snakes, he tried his best to remain calm lest he provoke them even more than they already were. Although his own life had been the one specifically threatened, the true threat was aimed at Sephiroth. One glance at his lover was enough for him to access his condition. Although the younger man was skilled at hiding his emotions, the gunman could still spot some subtle clues, like the barely noticeable clench of the man's jaw and his slightly more rigid stance, which proved that he was angry and perhaps a bit concerned, too. 

A lot was at stake here, the dark-haired ex-agent knew. If he did nothing, things would most likely get even more out of hand. Though he knew he was able to survive being shot multiple times, he didn't believe he'd survive if he indirectly killed the silver-haired-man. As strong as Sephiroth undoubtedly was, he doubted the young man could stop a mass of enraged, destructive demons. 

"Everyone calm down, _now_ ," ordered the gunman placidly, pausing a moment, and when both sets of eyes were glued to him, he continued, "Whether you kill me or not, Hewley, you will all die regardless. If _they_ get out, then you, Sephiroth, Rhapsodos, that Tifa girl, and everyone else within many miles, will inevitably die. They do not discriminate and they do not have pity. I have seen what they can do and trust me, you don't want them ever getting out."

Angeal frowned at the gunman’s words, his strong brow scrunching up a bit as if contemplating them. Vincent could tell the man was more patient and level-headed compared to Genesis. However, he also could tell that the man cared about the red-head, which meant that no amount of rationality would sink through. After all, if their positions were reversed, Vincent knew he wouldn’t be thinking too clearly, either, and really, he wasn’t even thinking too clearly _now_.

“What are you talking about? Who are _they_?” Finally inquired Angeal after he seemed done deliberating his next move.

Sephiroth scoffed and removed his long blade from Genesis’ neck before he shoved said obnoxious man at Angeal. “Does it really matter? Whether you take him at his word or not, I will tear you and everything you love apart if you ever touch him. Just take your bitch and get the fuck out of here before I change my mind.”

The unmistakable, startling sound of gunfire exploded suddenly as it echoed, but it hadn’t come from Angeal’s or Vincent’s end. Standing with both hands clutching Lucrecia’s handgun in both hands, was the pregnant girl, Tifa. Although her hands shook uncontrollably, the fury still did not leave her brown eyes. Her chest heaved as she panted, droplets of perspiration rolling down her face and neck.

Slumped in Angeal’s arms was a freshly dead Genesis, blood and brain matter splattered all over them both in a horrific display. The dark-haired soldier could only stand there shocked with his mouth hanging open as he stared down at his lifeless friend in stunned disbelief. The gunman knew it was only a matter of seconds or minutes before the man recovered from his shock. He would surely be enraged and in pain from his loss and no doubt would most likely react with violence. Hopefully he would just leave without seeking retribution, but Vincent knew not to bet on the latter.

“Well, _that_ works, too,” commented Sephiroth quietly. Despite his obvious resentment towards the redhead, he didn’t appear at all amused in that moment. Carefully wiping the blood from his blade, he then quickly sheathed it in the scabbard strapped to his left thigh before allowing the coat to fall down to shroud it from view. He did all of this without once taking his eyes off of Angeal. Like the gunman, it seemed as if he, too, was apprehensive about what the man would do after losing his best friend.

Holding Genesis, his eyes now shut, in his arms like a sleeping bride, the dark-haired soldier turned to regard the silver-haired man. Etched into his blue eyes was a deep-rooted sorrow so tragic that it even made Vincent feel a pang of guilt. He could very easily see himself in Angeal’s place, holding a dead Sephiroth in his arms. If they weren’t careful, no, if _Vincent_ wasn’t careful, then such an event would inevitably take place.

“I would ask you to stop, but I know you won’t. And honestly…even if you did stop, it might not make much of a difference. You’ve started a chain reaction…one that even someone like you probably can’t stop. I really hope you know what you’re doing, Sephiroth. I really do. Shinra won’t be happy with what you’ve done here and even with how valuable you are to him, there is only so much he will be willing to forgive,” said Angeal somberly as he stared at the green-eyed man, his own unshed tears making his blue eyes glisten.

“He’s next,” vowed Sephiroth, his blazing green eyes narrowed as he watched Angeal like a snake ready to strike if provoked.

Angeal barked a humorless laugh. “And what then? After you kill him, another will surely rise up in his place. Will you spend the rest of your life killing in a futile effort to gain…what exactly?”

“It seems to me _that_ was what we were born and bred for, Angeal. To kill, to provide entertainment, and to spread fear, chaos, and complicity for the sake of a power-hungry brat. And when we’re all used up, he will throw us away like trash and use the children created from our loins to do it all over again,” hissed Sephiroth, who took a step forward. He then gestured towards Tifa and added, “Is that what you really want? Is that what your so-called honor speaks of? Do you really want your children and Genesis’ children to grow up like we did, under whip and chain and every other torturous device, until they learn to comply like good little fighting dogs? Do you even care what happens to your kids, and to your woman? _Elena_ , was it? You do know what will happen to her, don’t you…?”

“Of course I care! What kind of a question is that?” Growled Angeal, his sorrow quickly replaced by ire since Sephiroth had obviously struck a nerve in him. Vincent had to hand it to lover; that young, striking man really knew how to get underneath the skin.

“Then do the right thing by her, and by the child. If you can’t, then I will. Stay out of my way or I will cut you down,” Sephiroth asserted and the gunman could tell he meant every single word of it.

“What will you do now?” Inquired Vincent quietly since he wanted to ascertain whether or not the man would prove to be a problem sooner or later. Despite the things writhing inside of him at nearly all times, Vincent didn’t have the conscience of a monster, at least, not yet anyway. He didn’t kill for pleasure or for personal gain in spite of the fact that it had once been a part of his job to kill whenever necessary. While he didn’t necessarily enjoy taking lives, he’d meant it when he’d told Sephiroth he’d kill everyone for him.

Angeal turned his back to him as he slowly looked down at the deceased man hanging limply from his arms. Looking over his broad shoulder at Sephiroth, he solemnly swore, “I won’t get in your way, but others undoubtedly will. It will be ugly and many will die. I won’t be a party to that…however, I won’t stand in your way as long as you don’t touch my lady.”

The green-eyed man curtly nodded once without saying a word as he watched Angeal make his exit with Genesis’ corpse in tow. He almost seemed sad as he watched him leave, but then he turned his head and smiled at the gunman. The smile was small and barely there, but it made the PI’s heart melt nonetheless.

“Do you think he will keep his word?" Asked Vincent after Angeal had disappeared from view. He couldn't help worrying that the man would become a threat to his lover. It was hard to blame someone that wanted revenge for their loved ones, yet Vincent knew from experience that revenge didn't help anything. Even though Hojo and Lucrecia were now dead, it still didn't take away the pain and anger they'd caused him and his sons. The only thing that had changed was the fact that they could no longer hurt Sephiroth. With that knowledge came relief, but it was short-lived since he knew the rest of the world was quite alive and wanted to harm or use Sephiroth. This young man was their star, their entertainment and protection in a bleak, money-driven world. Who's to say the people wouldn't protest their entertainment being taken away? They were like kids, in a sense, and would probably throw a tantrum when their candy was ripped away.

"Angeal is someone bound by honor. He will keep his word as long as we do not break ours. He...isn't like Genesis. Fame and fortune doesn't mean anything to him really. Elena and his unborn child are the only things he cares about right now. I think, in a way, he knew Genesis would prove to be a threat to them," answered Sephiroth as he turned to fully face the slightly shorter male. He briefly glanced at Tifa as if to access her condition and when he seemed satisfied, he looked back at the PI. 

Vincent nodded his understanding on the matter. He trusted Sephiroth's judgement, but that didn't mean he would ever trust Angeal. 

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think the baby is coming!" Alerted a panting Tifa. Beads of perspiration dotted her forehead before rolling down in glistening rivulets over a red face contorted in pain and discomfort.

Both men looked at the girl to find the large puddle of water on the floor pooling around her bare feet. By the looks of it, her water had broken and she was going into labor. 

" _Fuck_ ," hissed Vincent, feeling like a panicked, young father who didn't know what to do in such a pressing situation.

Sephiroth wearily sighed, "Fuck is right..."

 ~*~*~*~*~*~


	6. Epilogue

_One Month Later_

"You're doing it  _again_ ," stated Sephiroth without opening his eyes. It wasn't really a complaint on his part; it was more of playful jibe. How he always knew that Vincent was staring at him, the PI didn't know, but he found that he just couldn't stop it. Every time he woke up, he had to look at him to check if he was still breathing, or if he was even real and not just some figment of his imagination created by his aching loneliness. Some days it was hard to believe that he alone held this man's heart in his hands and that he partook in his body every day and night, whenever the mood struck them. Gods knew he didn't deserve him and probably never would. But that didn't mean Vincent would ever give him up, either.  He was a selfish man, after all.

Crimson eyes slowly trailed up from a naked hip to a well-defined, hairless torso until they stopped on an androgynous face the gods probably continuously wept over. He wanted to reach over and touch that smooth face, to caress it softly, but he held himself back. It was difficult to touch him without giving into the temptation to do more than chastely touch. After all, they were both still sore from hours of making each other moan and scream until they had both passed out. _Well_ , Vincent was still sore. Sephiroth had healed already, no doubt.

He sighed, "I can't help it."

" _Mhm_. Come here already," yawned Sephiroth as he rolled onto his side, his tapered, scarred back facing the gunman. The sight made the PI forget just how sore his body was from their previous couplings. Though the scars were a constant reminder of just what his younger lover had been through, he still couldn’t help loving the sight of that back and especially that chiseled backside. The man could be covered in ugly burns and Vincent would still love him because it was Sephiroth.

Vincent was confused for only a brief moment before he saw the obvious invitation. Scooting over, he pressed against the younger man's back as he wound an arm around his waist, pulling him closer and nearly purring in contented pleasure when the younger male pushed back against him teasingly. Burying his face in the taller man's neck, he kissed, licked, and bit every inch of skin that was within his reach. Trailing fingertips lightly against a smooth, broad chest, he smiled against the younger man’s neck when he attempted to press his chest against the gunman’s teasing hand as if demanding more. Sephiroth huffed indignantly before he ground his backside against Vincent, which further awakened the older man’s already stiffening cock. 

Slipping his hand down between them, the gunman probed his fingers between the other man's cheeks until he found his puckered entrance. Although it was no longer puffy from rough, thorough sex, it was still slick from copious amounts of lube and some bodily fluids that hadn’t had time to dry yet. Pushing two fingers in, he groaned again when he felt the tight, warm body suck him in greedily. It made his dick harden even more in anticipation of breeching him again, sliding inch by inch until his erection was swallowed by an ass that rivaled the younger man's talented mouth. If he could fuck both at once, he would. 

Sephiroth's body arched against him as he tried to force more of the gunman's fingers inside of him. Although the silver-haired man seemed content to laze on his side while he was slowly finger fucked, Vincent knew that would change quickly. 

Removing his fingers and bending Sephiroth's leg forward, he guided his turgid cock into the younger man's ass. It was difficult to push in slow, but he somehow managed to, his hips rocking shallowly as he edged every inch inside the spasming body until he had nothing left to push in. Already panting, he was sure his breathing was harsh in the other man's ear, but he didn't care. Being inside this man, tasting and touching him, it all felt too good to give a damn about anything, really.   

Sephiroth seemed to agree since he rocked back against Vincent almost desperately, his own dick hard and smearing precome all over his own belly and the already soiled sheets. Impatient and completely wide awake now, the silver-haired man slipped his hand down to grasp and stroke his own erection with every slow pump of the older man’s hips. Although sometimes Vincent wanted to savor the experience, to take it slow and sweet, it never seemed to happen that way. It’d start off that way, but the desperate need to come would always mount quickly in them both and before either one of them knew it, they were breaking headboards, tables, and cracking walls.

"Vincent, oh gods, more...please fuck me more... _I can't_ ," begged Sephiroth heatedly, his voice verging on being a whimper as he writhed almost uncontrollably. It was like lightning straight to his groin to hear and see him this way, which caused the PI to pull out and jerk the other man up before pushing him face down with his back bowed and ass raised in the air. Pulling those legs wide apart, he knelt behind him before he draped himself over him. One hand wound itself in long, silky silver strands to keep him pinned there as he penetrated him again, this time hard and quick. His cock slid in easily as he forced more of his weight down on the larger body, which probably made him look like a rutting beast, but he didn't care. 

Sephiroth's cries increased in pitch, his deep voice raw and husky as he continued to moan and beg, "Yes, yes...just like that, oh gods, _Vincent_ , just like that, more...I love you so fucking much..."

Contrary to what the occupants of the house probably thought, Sephiroth and Vincent didn't fuck all day long, or every day like bonobos monkeys. Due to Sephiroth's ongoing plans to dismantle the Shinra corporation, to protect the enhanced infants both already born and not yet born, and to put a stop to further cruel and inhumane experiments, they didn't always find the time or even the energy to have sex. However, if the need grew to be too much, they'd find a closet or alleyway for a quickie to take the edge off. When they were somewhere relatively safe, like Gast's spacious two-story house, they usually ended up taking some time to enjoy one another. Even if they fell asleep too tired to fuck, one would always end up eventually waking up and molesting the other until he woke up. 

And sometimes neither man even wanted sex. Sometimes they would just lie together in peaceful silence like two big wildcats lazing about in the shade away from the hot sun. Sometimes Vincent would wake up first and just stare at the slumbering Sephiroth until he woke up, which usually wasn’t very long. The man obviously had some sixth sense when it came to that because he usually woke up within minutes of being stared at by the gunman. Sometimes that resulted in being trapped in the larger man's arms for what Vincent would grudgingly call a snuggle session or they'd end up fucking like they were doing right now. Either way, it was an intimate experience for them both and the gunman cherished each one as if it were the last.

Whenever they ended up screwing for hours, Sephiroth liked to refer to it fondly as binge fucking. They’d only stop after both of them were too tired and too sore to continue, but after a much-needed nap, they’d both eventually wake up renewed and would maul one another again.

Hearing Sephiroth verbally admit his love, which wasn’t a common occurrence for him, which was usually uttered in the heat of the moment or when his emotions boiled high, always filled Vincent with intense, toe-curling pleasure. It was almost enough to make him come on the spot and hearing it now brought him close to the brink of his own orgasm.

Leaning back, he pulled Sephiroth with him into his lap and used his hands to help raise the larger body as he eagerly and urgently rammed up into the spasming orifice. He was so close, so damn close that all he could do was grunt and pant harshly, his words lost, as he raced to bring them both over the edge. The wet, frenzied slap of their flesh connecting and Sephiroth’s dick being jerked off was lewd, yet welcome to his own ears. All of these sensations, sounds, and smells only served to bring him closer and closer, the pressure in his body rising rapidly until he was on the verge, so close to his release—

—before the loud wailing of an unhappy, yet healthy baby filled the large house. Sephiroth immediately stilled completely, despite how close he’d been to his own release. When he moved to climb off Vincent’s lap, the gunman quickly grabbed him by the hips before he flipped him onto his back. Pinning Sephiroth down with his son’s arms over his head, the crimson-eyed man slammed back inside the pliant body beneath him to resume fucking the younger man’s brains out.

“But the bab— _oooh gods, yes…fuck yes_ ,” protested Sephiroth at first before his words cut off into a long, drawn out moan as his eyes rolled back into his head. Tossing his head back from the onslaught of pleasure, he bared his neck in silent submission as he writhed and rocked underneath Vincent’s body.  

The ex-agent loomed over the taller man, his hips making a point to rock hard and fast into the man beneath him to make him forget all about the wailing baby. Taking Sephiroth’s enflamed manhood into his left hand, he pumped him in time to his frenzied, deep thrusts. His right hand released his son’s wrists to lace his fingers with the fingers of the younger man’s left hand. Hands locked together, both men strained together as they rocked feverishly against each other, increasingly desperate to achieve mutual release. It wasn’t long before both men peaked, each man too elated to hold back their euphoric cries of pleasure as they came almost violently together.

Despite feeling boneless and knowing Sephiroth could take pretty much anything, Vincent still carefully pulled out before falling down beside his panting lover. There wasn’t even a chance to come down from their elated high before the shrill sound of a baby crying ripped through the air again, disturbing the brief peace.

“We should get up and help. Tifa probably needs a break,” sighed Sephiroth as he reluctantly sat up only to be pulled back down into the gunman’s arms. He didn’t fight the embrace; instead, he sank back into those arms and sighed in contentment despite how sweaty and messy they both were from their recent round of mutually satisfying sex.

“Just one more minute,” murmured the crimson-eyed man, who buried his face in the other man’s long, strong neck, his arms winding possessively around the larger body. Inhaling his musky, pleasing masculine scent, which still smelled strongly of sex and sweat, his cock twitched again with renewed interest. Even exhausted or in pain, it was always difficult not to respond to his very sexually appealing lover. No matter how often they had sex or were around one another, Vincent always greedily wanted more and more of him. If he could keep him somewhere safe and secluded from the rest of the world, for all time, he selfishly would. But he couldn’t. Sephiroth didn’t deserve to be trapped somewhere like a caged beast without air or sunlight. In many ways, the young man had already suffered a fate such as that and the gunman would never want that for him ever again. Most of the people responsible for hurting and degrading his lover were already dead and the ones that weren’t…well, they were about to be.

Huffing a bit, Sephiroth picked up one of the gunman’s hands by the wrist to bring it to his mouth. Kissing the palm of his hand tenderly, he then brought it down to hold it against his chest. “Fine, but _only_ a minute. I mean it, too. We can’t stay here having sex all day, Vincent. As much as I would love that…”

“We should go back to that motel sometime,” started Vincent, his voice a roughened whisper in the younger man’s ears. It had already been longer than a minute and he stubbornly still wasn’t willing to part from the warm, strong body he was busy spooning. “So we can show those people how real sex sounds like.”

Sephiroth couldn’t help laughing lowly at that, his voluptuous lips stretched into a smirk as he peered over his shoulder at the raven-haired man. “Consider it a date, then.”

Another piercing cry jolted both men out of their playful, warm moment, making them both groan in unison as they reluctantly untangled from one another to climb out of the bed.

Watching Sephiroth dress, Vincent was suddenly struck hard by just how much he loved this alluring, intelligent man. It had been more than twenty years since he’d last felt any remnant of happiness and now that he felt it, now that he knew it to be real, he could scarcely believe it. Someone as damaged and as tainted as the gunman didn’t deserve to feel this happiness, or any happiness at all. He believed that and yet…when he was with Sephiroth, he believed it less and less with each passing day, whether it was filled with love or violence. Perhaps someday he would stop believing it altogether and finally believe that he deserved this man completely. With the way things were going, that day would come really soon.

“I love you,” whispered Vincent. He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, had meant to only think it to himself and yet it came tumbling out of him anyway. He wasn’t even aware Sephiroth had even heard him until the other man, now fully dressed, strode over to him and kissed him soundly on the lips before shoving some clothing into his arms. Vincent had to fight not to chase after his lips as he silently damned Sephiroth for making him want him again.

“I know. Now get your ass dressed, old man. We’ve got bratty babies to tend to and dead old men to kill,” said the silver-haired man, his lips drawn into his typical smirk while his clever, bright eyes seemed to reflect everything that Vincent was currently feeling.

Despite how Sephiroth had pieced every part of his damaged heart back together, making him utterly whole again, Vincent felt like his heart would always be a mess, all for Sephiroth. Always for Sephiroth.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
